


Sakura Hatake

by LoveIsAMyth (sweetponzu)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Breakfast, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Non-Chronological
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-06-10
Packaged: 2018-03-30 05:39:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3924937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetponzu/pseuds/LoveIsAMyth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura's parents died during the Kyuubi attack. Kakashi come across her in the mess of things. She latches on to him. Sakura becomes a Hatake. And Kakashi becomes slightly less lonely. Slightly.</p><p>*Chapters are posted in non-chronological order*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Breakfast!

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at writing linear stories so this will be more of a drabble story set in the same world wherein Sakura is a Hatake and Kakashi isn't lonely.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Age: 4

**"Breakfast"**

There was a rustling of fabric, a small warm weight shifting around him; he heard her steady heart beat, something that comforted him, even before she spoke.

 

"'Kashi, I'm hungry." She said, dragging the 'u' for added effect. She knew how to play him like a fiddle. In fact, he thinks she actually knew how to play one. What with all the odd hobbies that the five year old girl seemed to take interest in.

 

"Hmmm." He hums, as if taking her request into consideration. "No." He states nonchalantly, opening one lazy eye to see her undoubtedly indignant reaction. Sakura did not disappoint as she puts up a token protest, wiggling against his enclosed arms, pouting up a storm.

 

 _Adorable._  He thinks with smiling eyes.

 

After a few more minutes, once the pink haired little girl tired of her efforts, he lets her go and concedes to her demand for sustenance. He sometimes forgot that although he could go on for days without being affected by hunger, the same could not be applied to growing young girls.

 

"What would you like for today, your majesty?" He drawls out, bowing from his waist lazily, flashing the little girl a small smile.

 

Sakura, used to his odd countenance, held up both arms imperially, haughty enough to pass off as an Uchiha; clearly he was spoiling her rotten. His smile only widened even more.

 

He concedes to her unspoken command and hoists her up into his arms, her arms wrapping around his neck. She smelled of peaches and cream, soft and comforting. She clung to him for a bit, most likely taking in his body heat after being deprived of the warmth of the blankets before speaking.

 

"Sunny eggs and crispy bacon!" She whispers into his ear, as if imparting a secret. Was it possible for his smile to widen even further?

 

He sets her down on the counter top and sets off to making her highness' royal breakfast. She sits there, dangling her legs back and forth and tilts her head to the side as she observes him work. His  _sharingan_  spins to capture the moment, tucking the image away for a rainy day, when missions ran long and the world felt dead.

 

She laughs in delight at seeing the doujutsu, her propensity towards them apparent, since the night he rescued her from the fiery clutches of her own home; the first time she saw them and cried tears of guileless joy. She will forever remember eyes like his as a sign of safety and comfort. He didn't know how to feel about that.

 

They eat in silence. Him watching her as she munches through her food. Her taking peeks at his exposed eye, laughing delightedly, while hungrily devouring her breakfast.

 

Sakura squeals and he jumps, hands coming to the hidden kunai attached to his leg, before realizing the reason for her surprise. She joyously hugged the little pug to her body, the dog's face lazily flustered, reminiscent of his owner, while making eye contact with Kakashi. It was Pakkun.

 

Kakashi sighs and rubs the back of his neck, a habit that surfaced when he was faced with something he found annoying or troublesome.

 

Pakkun's appearance means that Sakura will refuse to part with him, therefore refusing to go to civilian school. The teachers already berated him often enough for the chronic lateness of his charge due to his own propensity for being tardy, now he would surely get an earful about his irresponsibility for letting a four year old play hooky.

 

He sighs again but buckles himself down for a long day of playing with his most precious people—if ninken counted as people.

 


	2. Late!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura is late, to Iruka's never-ending despair. Good thing she has a good excuse.

_**Age: 8** _

**"Late!"**

 

Iruka's lecture about chakra manipulation gets interrupted by the door bursting open, a cloud of smoke blocking the entry, a Shunshin, which then immediately confirms to him who the late comer is. There is only one academy student capable of doing a Shunshin at such a young age that also happens to be chronically late.

 

"Nice of you to join us for class today, Sakura. Why don't you say your excuse and then go to your seat so I can resume class, alright?" Iruka tells the pink haired girl as she emerges from the smoke screen.

 

"I am so very sorry for my tardiness Iruka-sensei! 'Kashi told me to tell you that he is sorry as well for delaying me, he said that there was a cat and this old lady who went grocery shopping with—"

 

"That's fine Sakura, just don't let it happen again." Iruka interrupts irately but sighs in defeat moments later as he ushers her to her seat.

 

Honestly, Sakura was one of his brightest, most promising students. She was intelligent for her age, has a great grasp on chakra manipulation and is very well-mannered. But alas, anything that seems too god to be true, is probably too good to be true in reality. Which in Sakura's case is true—she was chronically late. Every day, without fail, she would walk in to the classroom twenty five minutes late.

 

He supposes that he couldn't really pin all the blame on her, just because she was the charge of the most chronically late ninja within Konoha doesn't mean that she means her actions as an impolite gesture. Especially since he knew the true reason for her tardiness….

 

It was the first and last time that Sakura had come late and given an excuse that is not fabricated by the Copy-nin.

 

It was her first day at the Academy as a late enrollee.

 

_"I'm very sorry for my tardiness, Sensei-san! My name is Hatake, Sakura and this is my first day at the Academy. I hope you treat me well. Once again, I'm really sorry, I lost track of time while having fun with Mama, Papa, Uncle Obito and Auntie Rin!" Exclaimed a petite pink haired child, entering the classroom with a suitably repentant look._

 

Iruka guessed that Kakashi told her not to tell the truth anymore, based on his own reaction to the child's excuse. He knew  _of_ Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara. He knew they were the Copy-nin's former teammates. He also knew they were very much dead. The same could be said about Sakura's parents, who suffered the same faith as his own; death caused by the Kyuubi attack. To say that her excuse shocked him was an understatement.

 

He later realizes that the excuse was genuine and that his student spends who knows how long a time at the cemetery before going to school. He doesn't know how to react to the realization. So he reacts in the best method he's employed in every strange situation he's come across in his life so far; he accepts it and moves on.

 

He shakes off his thoughts and continues on to lecturing. Resigning to the Copy-nin's, and consequently Sakura's, chronic tardiness is a better course of action than struggling against it. He had a feeling that neither of them would change their habits any time soon.

 


	3. Kiza-kun the Ninken!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura may be an Inuzuka.

_**Age: 5** _

**"Kiza-kun the Nin-ken"**

 

"'Kashi! 'Kashi! Look what I found!" Sakura exclaims while running towards the Copy-nin, her clothes dirty and her arms littered with scratches, carrying a….puppy?

 

Kakashi inwardly sighs and prepares himself to put up a token protest to Sakura's oncoming pleading to keep the little runt. Inevitably, she'll still get what she wants since they both know Kakashi is unable to say no to her.

 

Kakashi sighs again, thinking of the expenses for the food, hygene, not to mention the collateral damage…

 

"'Kashi! Are you listening to me?!"

 

Kakashi nods his head and crouches down to her level with an eye smile. He gently touches the scratches littering her small arms and asks her where she got them.

 

"Oh, these? They're nothing! I must have gotten them when I was saving Kiza-kun from the mean alley cats that were bullying him! Isn't that right, Kiza-kun?" The girl says, while cooing at the bundle of fluff in her arms.

 

Kakashi was just about to scold her for carelessly injuring herself again but stops himself short when he noticed the insignia of the collar on the fluff ball. The red twin fang engraving on the metal claims the dog as an Inuzuka Clan nin-ken. It was just his luck that Sakura would pick the one pet that she can't keep. And she even named the runt; separating them was going to be difficult.

 

"—and then I told them to shoo away or else I'll call in re-een-fourcements—'Kashi how do you say that word again?—because my 'Kashi can summon lots more dogs to fight 'em. So now Kiza-kun is safe and he'll grow up with me as my very own nin-ken! Just like you and Pakkun, 'Kashi!" Exclaimed the excitable pinkette, jumping up and down, while the pup barked joyously with her.

 

Kakashi almost wanted to say yes, that she can keep the nin-ken, Inuzuka Clan be damned, but knew he couldn't the moment he felt three Chakra signatures approaching them quickly.

 

He sighs, ruffles her bubble gum hair, and then lazily turns to face the incoming entourage, putting Sakura behind him, blocking their view of her and the dog.

 

In front of them was the Inuzuka Clan Head, Inuzuka Tsume and her off springs, Inuzuka Hana and the youngest, Inuzuka Kiba. It is also apparent that they came from a formal ceremony of some kind because Tsume was donning a formal Inuzukan  _hakama_  reserved for the Head, as was her children. Such occasions only consisted of marriages, funerals and initiation rites. No one has died recently, no gossip on weddings either, which makes it easy to deduce that they came hurriedly during an initiation procession.

 

Ahhh, young Kiba was getting initiated and- Kakashi slides his eyes towards Sakura's curious form, still clutching the pup—it seems that his chosen nin-ken had run away during the procession. It was an unprecedented occurrence, and if the Inuzuka were a more prideful clan, they would have done everything within their power to stop news from leaking but since they weren't, Kakashi relaxed his form and greeted the newcomers.

 

"Yo, Tsume-san, long time no see. Missing something?" He says, with his customary eye smile, one hand raised and the other in his pocket. He steps aside to let them see Sakura who was clutching the pup to herself, playing around with each other, cooing and cuddling the fur ball.

 

Tsume grinned widely, staring down at Kakashi for some reason or another, while Hana looked torn from squealing at the adorable site or placating her younger brother and the youngest looked red as a tomato, no doubt feeling angry that his nin-ken ran away from him, and to what? A  _pink haired_ **girl.** Seriously, who has  _pink hair?_

 

Once the pink haired girl looked up from the pup in her arms, her beryl eyes widened like saucers at the sight of  _even more_  nin-ken in front of her! This was the best day ever!

 

She ran forwards towards the four giant dogs, her head not reaching higher than their chest, and jumped into their general direction while clutching the smaller dog to herself. The nin-ken were sharp and reacted quickly to soften her fall with their bodies. It was a truly amazing sight, the little girl rough housing with five nin-ken, biting and licking each other- a sight that Kakashi was used to because of his own summons but an amusing one for the new comers.

 

"Are you sure you didn't steal away an Inuzuka, Kakashi?" Asked Tsume, raising her eye brows in amusement. "Wanna trade? Seems like Akamaru likes her better than Kiba anyway." She slightly teased, her eyes sliding towards her six year old son's pouting form.

 

"Mahh, I would have to decline, I already have a lot of nin-ken's to bathe as it is." Kakashi added, smiling his infuriating eye-smile towards the young boy, who was quickly being fed up by all the teasing he was receiving because of the girl who stole his nin-ken!

 

"Mom, just take Akamaru back already!" Whined the young irate boy, while pulling his mother's  _hakama_ for more emphasis.

 

"Aishh, so impatient. That's why you're so uncute, Kiba." Tsume replies, shaking her head before putting two fingers in her mouth and whistling. Signaling the nin-ken to stop what they were doing and return to their respective partners….except Kiba's. Which only served to irritate the little boy even more; the poor boy was nearly shedding tears. Soon he was on the ground, dirtying his clothes, wailing for the entire village to hear.

 

Before any of the adults could react to Kiba's abrupt wailing, Sakura dashed towards him, her eyes shining with concern.

 

"I'm sorry! Did you feel left out? I read in 'Kashi's book about child dep-development that kids cry when they feel left out! Here, come play with Kiza-kun, his friends and I!" The candy floss haired girl exclaimed earnestly, offering the little boy a hand up, as the nin-ken surrounded her.

 

Kiba accepts her help, and gets up in a daze after drying his tears. Then as he remembers why he was crying in the first place, he scrunches up his face, his eyebrows curling in and nose wrinkling, and tells her in an indignant manner; "N-no! And why are you calling Akamaru, 'Kiza-kun'? He's  _my_ nin-ken. Give him back now!"

 

Then suddenly  _Sakura_  was the one crying instead. It was not fair! She just  _got_ Kiza-kun!

 

The little boy did not know what to do, he was panicking, his eyes darting towards the adults, only to find them gazing at him in a disappointed manner. He knew he wasn't going to get any help from them, some adults they were! Then he suddenly remembered what the girl herself said about child dev—whatever it was; he just needed to include her!

 

And so little Kiba says the first thing he could think he could include her in; "Uhh, stop crying! I-uhm, I'll share ownership over Akamaru with you! Promise!"

 

Then as soon as they came, Sakura's tears were gone, instead she was smiling at the boy in the same coy manner she uses on Kakashi whenever she wanted something and asked; "Really?"

 

Kiba felt a little like he'd been cheated but he nodded nonetheless, if only to prevent her from crying again.

 

In response, Sakura jumps on him, hugging him and thanking him profusely. The boy sputters and doesn't know what to do.

 

"Atta boy, already a ladies' man at such a young age!" Cackles Tsume as she ruffles his hair messily.

 

"But you can't necessarily have joint ownership over Akamaru, nin-ken can only have one partner so as not to cause complications, I would offer ya a different nin-ken, girl, but you'd have to be an Inuzuka ta get one." Ume says, her eyes glinting with mischief and hidden plots. Kakashi did not like the look on her, especially since she was directing it towards Sakura.

 

And looking at Sakura's determined face, he could tell that he wouldn't like her response either.

 

"Then I'll just have to be an Inuzuka! I'll marry into the Clan and get a nin-ken of my own!" Sakura exuberantly exclaimed.

 

Hearing this, Kakashi felt himself grow ten years older, she wasn't even seven yet and she was already thinking of getting married? Kami help him.

 

Tsume and Hana laughs at her reply and tells her that she can marry Kiba when they grow older then.

 

Kakashi's eyes widen, his  _sharingan_ beginning to spin wildly behind his  _hitai-ate_ , how dare they proposition his Sakura! He was about to make his own rejection when the six year old pinkette beat him to it.

 

"I respectfully decline your offer, I would like to marry someone else from the Inuzuka Clan." Sakura states, bowing from her waist, with her hands folded in front of her; she was doing a pretty decent job of looking respectful and demure. Kakashi feels proud that although she got a lot of cavities from all the dango he couldn't refuse her, she at least learned formal manners during their visits to tea shops from their hostesses.

 

"Hmm, why not?" Asks Tsume, with a raised eye brow, not really offended, while Hana and Kiba sputter off to the side due to Sakura's straightforward rejection.

 

"Easy. I will not have my future husband be such a cry baby!" Harrumphed the little girl, turning her nose up, crossing her arms in front of her.

 

There are times when Kakashi thinks he spoils Sakura too much. This was not one of those times. His eye, crinkles into a smile while thinking that yes, Sakura deserved the very best. Sakura deserved the world.

 

With that, Kakashi excused themselves from the Inuzuka trio, leaving Tsume cackling amusedly, Hana smirking down at her brother and the youngest turning red once again, while Sakura followed after his promise of ice cream on the way home.

 

As they walk away Sakura looks back at Akamaru, sadly, waving her small hands in a good bye.

 

"It's alright, Sakura. You can find another pet." Kakashi says, after noticing her melancholy, patting her head to cheer her up, succeeding in only irritating the disgruntled child.

 

"You said the same thing about Naruto!" The child replied indignantly, holding both hands up in a silent demand to be carried.

 

The Copy-nin sweat drops, complying with her request and hoisting her up on his hip before saying; "We've been over this before Sakura, boys are not pets, especially little boys whose father is our Hokage."

 


	4. Sanbaka!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kurenai wants to steal Kakashi's seed and Gai wants his own baby to raise. Oh, and Sakura just being cute, of course.

_**Age: 9 months** _

 

**Sanbaka!**

 

When Asuma, Kurenai and Gai first found out about Sakura, they immediately jumped to many ridiculous notions of how she came to be in Kakashi's care, as friends are wont to do.

 

Gai, being Gai, started praising Kakashi's "youth" for raising a child all on his own at such a young age. He also secretly believes that Kakashi procreated all on his own, giving birth on his own in an unimaginable manner. Did Gai think Kakashi was an amoeba?

 

Asuma, recently just returning to Konoha as a Shinobi after serving the Fire Daimyo for two years, has had one too many experiences with cover ups and bastard children. He theorized that Kakashi got an enemy Kunoichi from Ame pregnant—where else would you find such exotic coloring like pink?—and now, to prevent his daughter from growing up in such a vicious environment, kidnapped her back from Ame to raise her in secret.

 

Kurenai, being the most rational within the group, thinks that Kakashi simply got drunk (they were ninja, if they were old enough to kill, then they were old enough to drink)and knocked up (and have sex) some poor, unsuspecting civilian girl through his rumored devilish looks.

 

Although Kurenai's conclusion is certainly more plausible than the others, the real story is less raunchy, covert or….strange. The lazy eyed fifteen year old told them as much.

 

None of them believed him. So Kakashi just shook his head and continued to read his _erotic literature_ —not porn!—while, placating the pink haired baby slung against his chest every time she started to stir from slumber.

 

"Aren't you a little young to be a parent?" Kurenai asked, after they calmed down from their frenzy, staring intently at the bundled up child slung against the Copy-nin's chest. Kurenai muses that somehow, the fact that the baby was on an arm sling instead of being carried around in his arms, is fitting of Kakashi. She could never imagine him doing something like holding a child with any tenderness at all.

 

"Yes. Yes, I am." Kakashi replies, looking straight at her and then turning away, shrugging his shoulder and returning his eyes towards his book.

 

The female _chuunin_ , sighs at his unresponsiveness, turning to look at Asuma and pleads him with her eyes to probe Kakashi as well. The newly minted _jounin_ shakes his head, not wanting to deal with Kakashi's bullshit.

Gai on the other hand, looked near to tears as he stared at the slowly rousing form of Kakashi' child.

 

Both of her eyelids quivered, her eyebrows scrunching together, her pink lashes trembling against her apple cheeks. A small chubby fist comes up to swipe her small petal mouth, successfully rousing herself. They were greeted by the most adorable pair of beryl green eyes, blinking up at them.

 

Kurenai couldn't help but think that this, _this_ was how adorable she wanted her child to be. Though judging by her choice in crushes, she thinks as she slides her eyes over to Asuma scratching the back of his scruffy neck, she wasn't so sure it was possible. Maybe if she were to get Kakashi drunk, she can snag his genes for her baby and just say it was hers?

 

Gai, lost in the child's youthful orbs, leaned a wee too close; causing the child's eyes to water, a sure sign that she was about to wail her little heart out. The three panics at the thought; they didn't know how to comfort a child!

 

Just as the crying was about to start, Kakashi tucks his book back in his pack, pushes up his _hitai –ate_ to reveal his _sharingan_ ; the bright red eye glowed, it's tomoes spinning like a wheel, seemingly comforting the child and settling her down. He gives her an eye-smile, his eyes crinkling, as he offered her his finger. The pinkette responds by grabbing his digit with her own smaller, chubby fingers, while gurgling happily.

 

The trio's jaws hung open, was this really Kakashi? Kakashi cooing at a child? Kakashi comforting a baby? Kakashi?!

 

By the time they snap out of their shock, Kakashi had already ordered food for himself and his charge; dango and tea. He fed the child small pieces of dango, wiping away at her mouth every so often with gentle hands.

 

Kurenai couldn't help but change her mind about her thoughts about Kakashi's ability to take care of a child. Maybe he was more capable of handling a child with care than she initially thought. Although, Kurenai thinks as she sweat drops, maybe she should tell him that dango isn't really an appropriate food item to be feeding such a young baby…

 

Asuma, turns placid, and thinks that children really do change people. He accepts this, returning to looking through the menu again, thinking about gifts that would be appropriate for babies Sakura's age. His father always said that when a life comes to a close, a new one blossoms—Asuma thinks it's appropriate, what with the child's hair color, he gives the child a smile and a two handed wave when she turned her eyes to him. He makes a private promise to look out for the new life that blossomed after his father's noble sacrifice.

 

Gai, with stars shining in his eyes, thinks that, even with a child slung against his chest, Kakashi was looking cooler than ever—in fact he thinks that it's the child that makes his rival just that much cooler. Raising a child on his own, such youth!

 

An idea strikes the green beast of Konoha, he stands, posing with his left hand propped against his hip, his right arm in a thumbs up, his smile blinding as he proclaim;

 

"Yosh! Since my eternal rival has taken up the ultimate youthful responsibility of raising a child, I too shall adopt one as well! We shall be rivals in fatherhood!"

 

Gai winks for added effect. The whole tea shop stops dead in their tracks. And his tablemates all _shunshin_ away, gone with simultaneous poofs, leaving Gai with his ridiculous ideas and the bill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that in the real storyline, Asuma is still serving the Daimyo at this point but certain factors of my story changed that. Because Minato continued to be Hokage, Sarutobi died instead in order to seal the Kyuubi, which is ultimately the reason why Asuma came back to Konoha. To honor his father's death, after recognizing his father as a great Hokage, an outstanding shinobi and a loving father. He regrets not being able to reconcile with his father before his death. But he repents by returning and taking care of his mother, Biwako Sarutobi.
> 
> Also, please excuse any grammatical error. I always type fast, in bursts of inspiration, without checking spelling and such.


	5. Strangers and Dango!

_**Age: 5** _

 

**"Strangers and Dango"**

 

Today, Sakura Hatake was feeling mischievous. Today, Sakura Hatake felt like playing _Ninja._

 

And so, she donned, one of Kakashi's masks, wore black capri pants, and her favorite blue long sleeved shirt- the one with the diamond holes! She couldn't find any hitai-ates lying around, so she opted to use the black pirate eye-patch that her 'Kashi used for their Halloween costumes last month – he was Captain Hook and she was Wendy Darling; she wanted to be Peter Pan, damn it!—to complete her _shinobi_ ensemble.

 

First step. Escape from captivity without letting the enemy nin know!

 

For Sakura this was easy, she only had to tell her nanny that she was gonna sleep in her room, while said nanny waived her off and continued to watch television.

 

Then from there she escaped through her room's window, walking down the side of the apartment's wall leisurely.

 

Easy as breathing.

 

Next step was to infiltrate her target's surroundings.

 

To accomplish this, Sakura had to blend in with the bustling market scene in the middle of Konoha. Sakura thinks this part is also easy.

 

She whipped out her current favorite book—it was a novel about the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, Naruto!—it's worn paperback cover proudly showing its title and it's author's name; Jiraiya the Sannin.

 

If her Aunt Kurenai were to see her, walking around, emulating Kakashi while reading a book written by _Jiraiya_ of all people, she would most definitely faint. Luckily it's just her and the rest of the civilian population of Konoha. What a relief.

 

Despite Sakura's great belief that by emulating Kakashi's usual mannerisms, she is able to go by unnoticed by people around her; reality could not be any more different.

 

In reality, many turned to stare at the peculiar pink haired child, walking around alone in the huge market place, donning a mask and an eye patch while reading. Many did not know what to make of the site, others who looked closely at the book she was reading had bulging eyes after having glimpsed the author's name but for the most part no one tried to obscure her path. Yet.

 

As Sakura was nearing her target destination, she felt a brief flicker of something to the peripheral of her senses. She halts and sees a dark figure approaching from her left. Sakura thinks back to Kakashi's stern talking about not accepting dango from strangers-when she accepted dango from Genma-san before knowing he was friends with 'Kashi- that better yet if she saw anyone she didn't know approaching her, she should yell "Stranger Danger" very loudly. Sakura being the precocious child that she was, was clever enough to deduce that doing so will only draw attention to her, she needed to be discreet for the sake of her mission; just as a proper ninja would. So she did the next best thing, as the figure got closer, she ran.

 

She ran through throngs of people, across cramped alleyways and dived straight into the forest near the Hokage Mountain. The pink haired six year old started to enjoy the chase, treating it as some sort of hide and chase hunt. Soon the sun starts to set and at this point, the pinkette is feeling a little winded, having used some more chakra to scale some walls and trees. She caught glimpses of her pursuer, and from what she could discern, she was being followed by a boy, most likely around her age, with long sleek black hair in a low pony tail and the longest looking soot black lashes _ever._ But most striking of all were his red eyes, with the familiar spinning tomoes—this person had 'Kashi's eyes.

 

Contemplating this, Sakura abruptly stops on a tree branch near the end of the forest where it met the foot of the Hokage Mountain, and turned to face her incoming pursuer. Anybody that had 'Kashi's pretty red eye would not bring harm to her; she was confident of this.

 

As her playmate stops on the tree branch in front of the one she was occupying, Sakura gives him a toothy smile, which surprises her pursuer for a bit before turning placid once again.

 

"Ne, ne, Stranger-san, wanna race to the top of the Hokage Mountain? Last one there treats the winner to dango!" Asked a giddy Sakura, thinking of the "stranger" as a playmate instead, running ahead of the still stupefied nin.

 

Itachi didn't know what to make of the pink haired child. At first, he started approaching her to help her undoubtedly worried parents to locate her, but then the child started running away, as if sensing his approach, then proceeded to scale walls and trees in her escape. The child looked to be five years old, the same age as Sasuke, yet she already demonstrated shinobi skills beyond her age group. Itachi snorts. A genius of his caliber is born only once every hundred years, they said.

 

He continued to pursue the pinkette in order to further quench his curiosity, but now she surprised him by suddenly stopping and challenging him to a race of all things. Wasn't she just running away from him like he was a hostile nin?

 

The pinkette was certainly amusing.

 

So he decided to humor her and followed after her five second head start.

 

Sakura was not walking up, nor was she running up the Hokage Mountain. She was _tumbling_ all over the place, manipulating chakra to her hands and feet, connecting whichever to the mountain as she tumbles around in the air. Itachi carefully looked out for her, staying behind a couple of meters in order to catch her in the event that she falls. There were a few close calls, her hand slipping from a crumbling rock, which resulted in her channeling chakra to her torso to force it to stick to the Mountain, halting her downward motion.

 

Sakura was only a couple more meters from the top, when her chakra gets depleted enough that it flickered and let loose her hold on the rock holding her weight. She starts falling down the mountain in an alarming speed. Halfway down, Itachi catches her in mid air, taking extra care in landing so as not to injure his passenger.

 

When Sakura opened her wide viridian eyes, they sparkled as she stared at her savior and joyously yelled for another jump.

 

"That was awesome! You caught me just like how Sukebe-kun caught Hana-chan in Icha Icha Paradise! Does this mean I have to hug you for a long, _long_ time as thanks, Steanger-san? 'Kashi told me that I shouldn't hug anyone until I'm old enough but I hug him and Aunt Kurenai and Uncle Asuma and Uncle Gai and-"

 

Itachi shakes his head at her overenthusiastic response to her recent near death experience and tells her that he shall treat her to dango for winning the race. Would she rather jump again or have dango? And what business did a five year old have, reading porn?

 

As with anything dango related, Sakura quickly forgot the alternative and focused on the prospect of sinking her small teeth into the sugary and sticky sweet.

 

Itachi carried the pinkette back to the market place on his back, while the little girls dozed off in intervals against his back, her small puffs of breath tickling the back of his neck and raising goosebumps at the nape. Itachi chuckled at the energetic girl's inevitable crash; hearing her snore softly was oddly comforting.

 

Itachi was pondering on whose child might the pinkette be, judging from her advanced ninja skills, she must be an offspring of a fellow Konoha shinobi, but who…

 

His progress towards the tea shop was abruptly halted as a hand armed with standard Konohan fingerless gloves, stops him short. He followed the offending hand up to its owner's face, only to be faced with Kakashi Hatake and his infamous eye smile.

 

"I'll take it from here. Thank you for taking care of her, Itachi." Stated the Copy-nin as he gently pried the limp pinkette from his back. Itachi wanted to protest but logically thinking about the situation, it made sense that she was the Hatake's charge, she was after all , emulating him- the eye patch, the mask and the book- throughout the day.

 

He allows her to be taken from him, telling the Copy-nin that it was no trouble at all. Then he slowly walks away.

 

Later in the evening, the pinkette gets a stern talking-to from Kakashi. As she sulks away in her room, she notices a plate of dango on her desk, a small piece of paper tucked underneath it. " _Itachi"_ was written in elegant cursive on it. She goes to bed fulfilled from the sweet; happy and content. She dreamed of a pair of red eyes, spinning and spinning like those carousels she adored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Itachi is 10-11 years old.
> 
> Sukebe means "lewd" or "vulgar"
> 
> Hana means "flower"
> 
> Please excuse any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.


	6. Squirrel!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sakura saves a spider from a horrifying death.

_**Age: 4** _

 

**"Squirrel"**

 

The first time Sakura walks up their apartment walls, she was trying to reach her toy  _shuriken_ —essentially just Kakashi's old  _shuriken_ set, dulled to uselessness "for safety"; frankly, Sakura thought that was utter horse poo—from its high perch on the book shelf.

 

Later, as Kakashi was picking up stray dulled  _shuriken,_  broken shards of what was previously colorful vases and wilted petals off the floor, he wonders how the heck Sakura got her instruments of evil back. He just sighs and shakes his head at the slumbering form of the pink haired child lying on the couch.

 

The second time Sakura walks up the wall was when she saw a spider-a brown daddy long legs- climbing up the wall, following its climb, puffing her cheeks out and crawling up the walls, imitating the spider's gangly limbs. Later, her nanny wakes up screaming, falling off the couch in her horror at the spider on top of her nose. Thankfully Sakura saves Mr. Long Legs from a horrifying death by asphyxiation.

 

Now, the third time Sakura climbs up the wall, Kakashi drops his "Erotic Literature".

 

Under the couch.

 

He spent the whole time that Sakura was walking up and down the wall, reaching for his fallen book. Not having witnessed the spectacle, he was puzzled to find Sakura reading the Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, which he vaguely remembered putting at the top shelf in order to tease the pink haired child. He must've hit his head while searching for his book under the couch.

 

By what seemed to be the hundredth time that Sakura scaled any lateral surface using only her chakra, Kakashi  _finally_ notices. He watches as she easily climbed up a tree in the park, coming closer to observe a squirrel eating its nut, sneakily getting closer until the creature gets startled. It runs away, throwing the remains of its meal at the curious pinkette, causing her foot's hold on the tree to falter. Kakashi was under the tree in less than a second to catch her falling form, but she catches herself on a branch, channeling chakra to her hands to stick to the tree. She laughs as she sees Kakashi standing underneath her, the Copy-nin relaxing his stance, then abruptly lets go of her hold on the branch, expecting her 'Kashi to catch her.

 

He does.

 

When he puts her down, he gives her rump a reprimanding tap, a warning for her not to do that again. Then he turns to her, giving her an eye smile, and asking her where she learned to do that.

 

"Oh, that? Easy! 'Kashi does it all the time, so I just copy the Copy-nin!" Sakura responds, giggling at her own play on words, earning her a wider smile from Kakashi, his eye lids crinkling shut.

 

"Maah, maah, Sakura-chan, you're growing up too fast. You're making this old man feel even older." Kakashi replies, ruffling her candy floss hair, mussing it up in the way he knows annoys her.

 

They walk away, Sakura oblivious, and Kakashi cautious as he felt two chakra signatures observing Sakura's misadventure moving away.

 

* * *

 

Danzo rifles through the documents on his desk. A small report catches his attention.

 

_Sakura Hatake. Four years old. Able to manipulate chakra efficiently. Qualified for recruitment._


	7. Tasuke, Sayura and Nezuto!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura likes to play with her babysitters.

_**Age: 5** _

 

**"Tasuke, Sayura and Nezuto!"**

 

Kakashi sighs, he was beginning to get constant migraines. Sakura was only five years old, but already, she's scared off most, if not all, nannys that would be willing to babysit for extended periods of time. It's going to be troublesome but he'll probably have to start hiring shinobi to do the job.

 

And that is why Sakura is now faced with three sixteen year olds and an extremely old and frail looking jounin-sensei. Sakura tilted her head to the side, as if changing her perspective might make them go away. She knew why they were here; 'Kashi was getting smarter and catching on to her escapades.

 

The five year old huffed, she was planning on going to the park to go build sand castles with Naruto-kun today too! Now normally this wouldn't require sneaking out, she could just ask her sitters to accompany her but she didn't really want to be caught in the act when the sand castles explode because of the smoke bomb they were planning to put inside it… The smoke bomb's only insurance! If other kids try to destroy their castle, they'll learn their lesson not to because they'll go 'splody! Sakura giggled out loud at the image of children flying out of the park, courtesy of the smoke bomb that's currently burning a hole in her pack.

 

She surveyed her sitters once again.

 

The old jounin looked nice enough; he was now sitting down on the couch, drinking tea, after smiling kindly at her. He'll fall asleep soon, the sleeping pill- 'Kashi takes them but sometimes he lets Sakura swallow a half to help with her nightmares-Sakura crushed with the tea would make sure of it. Too bad the other three refused tea.

 

Next was the short chubby-looking brown haired boy, he had slanted eyes like those of a mouse and buck teeth to complete the comparison. Sakura almost expected him to grow out whiskers. He should also be easy; 'Kashi bought cheese just yesterday.

 

Then there was the girl with purple mousy hair, she had really mean looking eyes and a very defined jaw. She glared at me, rolling her eyes, before turning away to stare dreamily at the third member of their group. She seemed to be disinterested and mostly pre-occupied with the other boy; she would be easy to escape as well.

 

Lastly was a raven haired boy, with an arrogant look on his face, standing proudly in the middle of her living room, looking down at her. Sakura decides, she doesn't like this one, and she needed to do something about it. A brilliant idea comes to mind, but first, she had to get them to go with her.

 

._._._.

 

Tasuke thought that babysitting children is a waste of his great skills as a ninja, he could be out there, killing enemy-nin with his new jutsu by now. He finally learned the _Great Fireball Jutsu_ and yet their old fart of a sensei still wouldn't recommend them for a C-rank. For god's sakes, they were sixteen; they should have made chuunin by now. He sneers as he looks at his two teammates; they were the ones holding him down, them and their incompetency.

 

Nezuto was hungry. He hoped they had food at the house of the kid they were babysitting. Thankfully the mission was only babysitting this time, he couldn't stand the heat and the physical exertion when they had to pull weeds or when they "walked" – more like ran—the Inuzuka dogs. He looked down at the mission scroll, reading it's content absent mindedly. Hmm, but the name Hatake sure does sound familiar… His stomach grumbles and he forgets the thought in favor of thinking about food.

 

Sayura was having a bad day, her hair was getting frizzy from the humidity in the air and Tasuke-kun hasn't even commented on the new shirt she bought yesterday! And now they had to babysit a little brat. Sayura wanted to question the Kami for giving such a beautiful girl, herself, a hard life.

 

The old sensei was just as unresponsive as always and sits down at the couch, accepting tea from the pink haired child they were supposed to babysit. Nezuto didn't want any, he heard tea is good for digestion; he was already hungry as it is, he didn't want more of the food he ate to go away. Sayura did not like the Oolong tea, the pinkette offered, she preferred the sweeter Jasmine tea but the brat ignored her request. What a snotty brat. Tasuke turned her down just because he wanted to torture the little pink haired girl.

 

This is because upon entering their client's home, Tasuke immediately spots a picture of a silver haired jounin posing with a pink haired little girl in a park, obviously having fun and bonding as father and daughter. He recognized the silver haired man, he was Hatake Kakashi. The guy who failed him back when he was fourteen, a new graduate from the academy. He then decided then and there that he'll make the jounin's little daughter suffer for failing him.

 

As much as it pained Tasuke, he was gonna have to ask his teammates to help him make her suffer, so she could suffer all the more; three pairs of hands are better than one. Tasuke cackles, he was such a tactical genius.

 

He tells Nezuto and Sayura to get closer to him and tells them of his plan. He knew Sayura would agree either way, the girl had a huge crush on him, bigger than the size of her jaw. He also knew Nezuto would be willing to follow along if there was food in the end; he'll just buy him ramen or something.

 

And just like that, his plan for revenge was set.

 

._._._.

 

The pink haired little girl wanted to go to the park, the plotting trio agreed. Leaving the apartment and their slumbering old sensei behind. The trio dispensed their petty forms of revenge during the walk towards the park by tripping the pinkette regularly, bumping into her small form, and pushing her in the way of others in the busy streets; resulting in Sakura finding herself with her bum on the ground more times than she could count.

 

Their actions only made Sakura even more determined in executing her idea.

 

When they arrive, she spots Naruto, pulling him towards the sand box swiftly, cutting off his usual cheerful greeting.

 

"No time. More work. Less talk." Sakura stated with gritted teeth, furiously taking out all the building materials they needed and, carefully, the smoke bomb, taking extra care to hide it from the evil trio's view.

 

Naruto's eyes sparkle at the instruments of evil, his smile becoming blinding before enthusiastically saying; "Alright Sakura-chan, I have a feeling this is gonna be fun!"

 

The three gennin observe the two children work hard on building a sand castle, Tasuke stops them from making any move, telling them that it would be more devastating to the pinkette if all her hard work in perfecting the castle is destroyed just as she finishes it. The other two nod, praising Tasuke for his ingenius plan. Tasuke smirks, crossing his arms in front of his chest, telling them that it's only natural for a prodigy like him. He called dibs on kicking the sand castle to the ground.

 

At the end of the day, three gennin are rushed to the hospital and Sakura and Naruto get a major scolding from the Yondaime Hokage. And Kakashi gets an even bigger headache after returning from his mission.

 

Kakashi hears the story from Sakura and learns of the identity of the gennin who had taken up the mission of babysitting Sakura. He dimly remembers failing one of them from a couple years ago. The brat was probably trying to exact petty revenge on him through Sakura. Kakashi didn't know why the kid felt so offended—he failed everybody.

 

Kakashi will have to hire a chuunin, he didn't trust gennin to take good care of Sakura for him anymore, he wouldn't trust young gennin brats with a grain of salt ever again.

 

._._._.

 

The next time Kakashi went out on a mission...

 

"How many _senbon_ do you think you can catch Genma-san? Can you catch more than I can throw? Let's play and find out!"

Genma found out why a certain babysitting mission was C-rank that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by Pixychick84's review. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed my "OCs". Don't they seem a little familiar though?


	8. Naruto-sama!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Naruto hears all that he's ever wanted to hear in friend, from Sakura. Except maybe one tiny little detail.

_**Age: 4** _

 

**"Naruto-sama!"**

 

When Sakura first met the blonde, Sakura decided that Naruto Uzumaki was the opposite of Naruto-sama. He was a runt, for one, a good half head shorter than her. But more importantly, he was quiet, was a stickler for formality and seemed like the epitome of a caged animal.

 

Her Naruto-sama was loud, brave, outgoing and never gave a damn about rules! (And since Sakura plans to be the disciple of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, as soon as she finds him that is, she will not care about 'Kashi's inevitable reprimand for using a bad word!) Naruto-sama also never cared for what was proper, did what was right, no matter what, and always helped and protected the weak!

 

This gaki doesn't even have the courage to go swing by himself!

 

"What do you mean, you shouldn't swing?!" Asked the enraged pinkette. Swinging was one of the greatest gift of life! How can he not want to bask in it!

 

"I, um, Hatake-san, the elders told me not to do anything that will hurt myself or others. They also don't want me to make a commotion, so I, I can't." Mumbled the shorter blonde, his head bowed down, while his face scrunched up in frustration. It's not that he didn't want to! He wanted to! He just didn't want to get the elders mad at him even more. Or worse get hurt…

 

"Aish, How many times have I told you already? Call me Sakura, Sa-ku-ra. Okay?" Replied the frustrated girl, scratching her head in bewilderment at how such a person could share the namesake of her great idol, Naruto-sama!

 

"Although, maybe I should just take that back, since I wouldn't want everyone to know that I'm friends with such a wimpy kid!" Sakura teased, blowing Naruto a raspberry before running towards the direction of the playground swings.

 

Naruto was surprised, hadn't the pinkette just told him she disliked the way he was? Yet she still considered him her friend…. They just met today!

 

Naruto wanted to grin, the huge mischievous kinds that the elders reprimanded him against making, telling him it made him look like a "fox", whatever that meant. Naruto restrained himself, reminded by the open look of disdain the elders often gave him, why he never smiled wider than was polite. Sometimes, Naruto wondered if it was the Elders who ran the village, not the Hokage. Sometimes, Naruto even wonders if the Elders are the ones who had a right to "raise him as they see fit", not his father the Yondaime Hokage.

 

Naruto is shaken out of his thoughts as Sakura hollers for him to follow her.

 

"Uhm, Ha—Sakura-san, do you really consider me as your friend?" Asked Naruto, blushing heavily, looking at anywhere but the pinkette.

 

"Yup! But you really gotta grow a spine though, you're tainting the name of my Idol, Naruto-sama, ya know? Also, what's with the "san"?" Replied the girl, swinging on her own, pumping her legs to lift herself higher. While Naruto sat on the dirt ground, looking up at her soar, admiring the way the sun formed a halo around her glowing form. She was radayent—uhm, sparkly? Sparkly.

 

Naruto felt himself, smile, wider than his normal fake polite smiles but still smaller than a grin. But it was improvement enough. Sakura caught the smile as she was swinging to the top, she returned it and used both hands to signal him to smile wider, using both index fingers to spread her own smile wider. Unfortunately, the pinkette didn't take into account that from that height, without any limbs holding her to the swing's twin metal links, that she would go careening forward, off the seat and into the hard unforgiving ground.

 

That is, if the blonde ball of fluff called Naruto, did not rush to her rescue and softened her landing with his own body. Once Sakura realized what happened, she quickly got off him; apologizing profusely. But it seemed he wasn't listening. He stayed on the ground, flat on his face, his whole form trembling, presumably from the sobs he was making.

 

Sakura knew it was rude to laugh at someone when they were hurt, especially if she was the cause of it in the first place, but she couldn't help the little snorts that came out of her small little mouth. The site was simply comical to her.

 

He was like a yellow ball of fluff—no, a yellow porcupine, playing dead pitifully. It was hilarious and oddly endearing.

 

Naruto looks up at her, shooting her a menacing glare for laughing at him, or it would have been menacing, if it weren't for the copious amounts of dirt on his face and in his mouth…

 

This time Sakura laughs at him outright. The blonde boy sat up and continued to fume, but his tears seem to subside because of Sakura's unintentional distraction.

 

"I'm sorry, Naruto-chan! It's just that you looked like a poor porcupine playing dead! I couldn't resist!" Placated the still laughing pinkette, rolling around the ground, clutching her stomach tightly.

 

"Sakura-chan it wasn't funny! I'm seriously hurt, 'ttebayo!" Whined the disgruntled blonde, wiping dirt from his face and spitting clumps of them out.

 

Abruptly, Sakura's laughter stops.

 

"What did you call me? And did you just shout? I'd never heard speak louder than a mouse! And what's 'ttebayo? That's pretty cool sounding!" Sakura questioned, each sentence louder than the next, her excitement increasing with each passing moment. Naruto was beginning to get dizzy.

 

He made a move to stand up, putting his hand on his knee to support him, but he abruptly stills as he feels something sticky on his hand. His hands were red…He looked down at his knee, it was bleeding! Naruto, felt like he was about to faint, the Elders would be so angry at him!

 

"So?" Sakura prodded.

 

"Uhm, I'm sorry, too many questions…"

 

"Mahh, and I thought you finally grew a spine when you rescued me, thank you for that by the way, that was really brave!"

 

"Thank you." Naruto blushed.

 

"Who are the Elders? You've been talking about them for a while now." Questioned the curious pinkette.

 

"They, um, they're people who sometimes check on my "gru-growth", Papa said. But more importantly Hatake-san-"

 

"Nope, I won't listen to you until you call me Sakura-chan again." Interrupted the pinkette, putting a finger in each ear and singing loudly, so as not to hear the blonde.

 

"S-Sakura-chan, I think I need first aid…" Trailed Naruto, blushing, while pointing down towards his bleeding knee.

 

"Oh no! Why didn't you tell me sooner!" Shouted the distressed pinkette, looking around frantically for adults around the play ground in order to ask for help.

 

"I was, but you interrupted me Sakura-cha—"

 

"Don't get smart with me, Uzumaki!" Sakura interrupted, boinking her fist on Naruto's head.

 

"Itai! Sakura-chan, it's not good to hurt people who are already injured, you know?" Asked the blonde, rubbing the bump in his head to soothe it, playfully teasing her.

 

"Hmph, not if they deserve it! Where are your parents anyway? I can't find any adults that look like you." Huffed the little girl, continuing to look around the park.

 

Naruto's visage darkens and he lowers his head, his bangs covering his eyes.

 

"Papa is nev—not here at the moment." He replies, sounding sullen.

 

"Oh? 'Kashi's out a lot too, so I learned to go out on my own. But how about your mom?"

 

"She—my mother is dead." He replies, as if the words were painfully ripped out of him, his eyes water as he looks up to face Sakura.

 

Sakura was stuck. Sakura didn't want to handle this. She didn't know how to. She had lost both her parents; she was feeling bitter. But she knew it wasn't right to tell him not to cry because he was lucky it was only his mother. Besides, Sakura had 'Kashi, even when he's gone a lot, he gives his best. Plus she had ninken to play with- that's it!

 

Sakura then abruptly hugs the sniffling blonde, enveloping him with her thin arms, pushing his face to the crook of her neck, rubbing his shoulders and shushing him. Sakura was familiar with the movement, her 'Kashi has comforted her countless of times whenever she awoke from her nightmares. It was odd being the one to give comfort, but Sakura liked it.

 

"Ne, ne, don't be sad anymore. If you don't have a mommy, that's fine and if you're daddy is gone a lot, that's fine too. I'll just adopt you as my pet so you won't ever be alone! I'll be a great owner! I'll feed you, house you, give you lots of hugs and spend  _all_ my time with you!" Whispered the pinkette excitedly, hugging him tighter.

 

Something about what Sakura said did not seem right to Naruto but as soon as she promised him that he won't ever be alone again, he felt that he could care less. He hugged her back just as tightly, lifting her in his excitement.

 

He blushes as he puts her down, apologizing for his sudden actions.

 

She assures him that it's fine; that being carefree and doing what he wants is exactly what Naruto-sama would do. There's hope for him yet, she said.

 

That was, until he asked; "You keep saying his name but, who  _is_ Naruto-sama?"

 

The pinkette explodes in a flurry then, spouting factoids about the book, scolding him for not having any idea of its great, magnificent existence. She promised to come back every day, to "train" him to be a proper "Naruto" like Naruto-sama; promising long hours of books, slouching training, and the art of surprise and pranking. Naruto didn't hear a word she said after she promised she'd come back every day. Come back to him.

 

His first real friend! As he stares at her babble away, he promises to himself that he will protect her with all he has; no one will take away his friend from him, not even the Elders!

 

Amidst all their erratic thoughts, both children failed to notice that by the end of the day, Naruto's scrape was completely healed under the crusted blood on his knee.


	9. Happy Birthday!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Sakura's birthday soon. But no Sakura?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made some readjustments in the ages of the characters to better fit the Canon chronological order. This story by no means follows Canon completely but will use Canon Naruto as a base line for any of its divergence from the main plot. I hope the changes won't cause much of an inconvenience. You will find that as long this story is not finished many of its chapters and minor details will be edited; I will try to inform you of these changes every time I do so. Also if you find something odd or inconsistent then please don't hesitate to drop a review, I would be willing to take into consideration your opinion and take proper action, either by explaining to you my reason for writing the anomaly intentionally or by changing it altogether. Thank you for your continued support. Please enjoy the chapter.

_**Age: 5 2/3** _

 

**"Happy Birthday!"**

 

Sakura disappeared, less than four months before her sixth birthday.

 

Everyone was immediately on edge. Gai panicked after hearing the news frantically searching while hounding the Hokage to be part of the retrieval team. Asuma looked like his father had died once again, he felt like a failure, he was unable to keep his promise to protect the new life his father sacrificed himself for. Kurenai didn't know what to do with herself, she and the pinkette had formed a special bond, she was not her mother but Kurenai was the closest Sakura had to one.

 

The little ones were uncomprehending. Naruto ran around the village, barefoot as soon as he heard the news in the morning from his father; he came home with festering cuts and blisters on his feet. He screamed his voice raw at his father, not caring about what was proper anymore, demanding he bring back Sakura-chan right now! He was the Hokage damn it, the Hokage was supposed to be capable of everything, of  _anything._

 

Kiba didn't know how to react, she couldn't just be gone. His mother always told him of how proud the Inuzuka were to be a part of the strong and mighty village of Konoha, how Konoha was strong enough to protect all its inhabitants, so why? Why had every single ninja in the village allow Sakura to be spirited away?

 

* * *

 

Although Konoha was prospering in the last couple of years, there was still many to be done to help get the village back on its feet after the war and the Kyuubi attack, not to mention the prolonged Cold War that Konoha has been going through with Kumogakure for the past 5 years, the Yondaime could not afford to allocate too many resources for the retrieval of the pinkette. The council frowned upon open favoritism; they would question him, would he do the same for any other random shinobi? If not, then only do what is standard. He loathed the council, but they made a valid point. He had to be rational and look out for the well being of the many, not the few.

 

He resigns himself to the hard decision he had to make, as he filed a routine mission to scour Konoha in search of one Sakura Hatake, a team composed of shinobi who are not connected to the young child in any way.

 

The elders looked on in approval. Danzo's face remained placid, the only indication of his satisfaction was the fact that as he stood there, he did so without his customary cane. Minato should've noticed. He didn't.

 

At the end of the seven day grace period of searching, as was customary procedure, Sakura Hatake is pronounced deceased under strange circumstances.

 

Kakashi Hatake would return from his mission nearly three months later, bruised and battered. He would not bother to check in, immediately going straight to his home; he wouldn't sense her chakra signature.

 

He would pray to a God he's never believed in, to make a liar out of the Fourth, to make the scroll sent for him a mistake; that everything was alright and Sakura was safe.

 

He would enter her room and look around and think that nothing made sense. There wasn't any sign of struggle, her room was in pristine condition aside from the thin layer of dust that settled after being uninhabited for so long, her pajamas laid out for her to change into, her favorite stuffed dog clean and fluffed, all set for her to jump in bed and slumber.

 

All Kakashi would think, as he stood in the middle of Sakura's peach colored room, was that Sakura was going to miss her own birthday party. He would chuckle humorlessly to himself, a lone tear dropping from his exposed sharingan, staining the pristine room's wooden floor.


	10. Midori!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Midori.

_**Age: 6** _

 

**"Midori!"**

 

Midori is small and lanky. Her skin had a slight tan due to being out in the sun a lot, Fu could tell, but that was something that he was sure would swiftly change. If she survives, that is.

 

Fu had his doubts about the capabilities of this new "recruit". Maybe she had a special kekkai genkai? She does have a rather strange hair color. Pink. Fu couldn't recall any fearsome clans with pink haired shinobi. It was just odd.

 

What was even odder was the fact that she is being entrusted to him and Torune, the quiet Aburame to his right, in order to quickly acclimatize her to ROOT. They were in the fast track program, why was she being put into the fast track program when she clearly has not had prior conditioning?

 

Torune nudges him with the handle of his tanto, the tool a proud symbol of their advancement in ROOT as is recognized by Danzo-sama, turning his attention to the stirring pinkette.

 

She opens her eyes and I see the reason why she was named Midori. They were green. But they looked…void.

 

Immidiately Fu's tactical mind springs into action, the void look is definitely the result of some kind of brainwash technique or genjutsu.

 

"Midori?" Torune asks, waiting for a response from the girl.

 

"Who…who is Midori?" The girl asks, coughing due to her dry throat.

 

" _You_  are Midori. Remember, child?" Shimura Danzo states, his voice echoing in the cavernous underground base.

 

Fu and Torune immediately kneel on one knee, head bowed, one arm propped up on the raised knee; awaiting further instructions after the customary acknowledgement.

 

Danzo muses that the two are developing very nicely. They were taking to ROOT training well.

 

He turned to the pinkette laying down in the raggedy cot they put her on, awaiting her response to his statement. He looks at her eyes intently looking for the shift of recognition that would signal the success of his use of the Sharignan.

 

The girl's response is immediate. She quickly assumes a position mirroring that of Torune's and Fu's, nodding an affirmative and greeting him with reverence. The two others in the room flinched minutely, taken aback by the change in the girl, but ultimately accepts the situation.

 

In root, it was not their position to question Danzo-sama's motives or methods; they were weapons used for the protection of Konohagakure and weapons did not  _think_. This lesson was one of the most prevalent during their training as Tier One ROOT recruits. It was a painful lesson which included electricity, two doors and a choice. It was one that both Torune and Fu weren't going to forget any time soon.

 

Danzo nods his approval and informs that girl that she will continue her training with Torune and Fu.

 

At this point, Fu could roughly figure out what situation this girl was in. She might have been put under a genjutsu that would help implant memories of root training into her when in reality she has never stepped foot in the base; Fu would know, he made it his business to meet all recruits, to assess the competition. On the other hand, she could be a sleeper recruit being reinstated, it was the case for most new operatives, however her age still gives him pause. Although Torune and himself joined ROOT at a young age, around the girl's age actually; they weren't thrust into fast track operative programs for Tier Three operatives…

 

Torune nudges him with the handle of his tanto , pulling Fu out of his thoughts and turning their attention to the pinkette once again. The quiet Aburame gives him a meaningful glance through his tinted glasses, trying to convey his concern, and ultimately warning him against thinking on matters that they weren't supposed to have opinions on in the first place.

 

He recalls memories of pain filled nights when he could barely move his body or chew his food because of the overwhelming pain; electricity coursing through him. He steels himself and looks into Midori's eyes once again.

 

This time they weren't just green, they were  _jade_ ; filled with life and determination.

 

* * *

 

This girl was a  _monster._

 

As soon as she got pushed into training room #3, her eyes took on a void look, her body loose and limber. She was moving even before the first kunai hit the spot she previously occupied. She catches one in midair, using the kunai to deflect other incoming projectiles. Her form was loose and flexible; often making use of acrobatic moves to avoid close calls.

 

She ends the training exercise by using captured kunai to clog the openings from where the projectiles were coming from in the walls.

 

Beside Fu, Torune nods his approval, watching the girl dust herself off calmly. They simultaneously looked up at the time board on top of the room's door, the board proudly showing off 0:12:45 in bright red. It was just 15 seconds over the record.

 

This girl was a  _monster._


	11. Team Seven!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The newly graduated genin gets sorted into teams.

Age: Almost 13

 

**"Team Seven!"**

 

"…To happily grow old with my daughter by my side." Kakashi finishes with an eye-smile. Naruto and Sasuke both started gagging in place, muttering under their breaths about old geezers and how it must be hard on Sakura. Kakashi merely sent them a side glance, as if to say their opinion's value was less than that of a cockroach to him. The two boys weren't affected, they've had that kind of gaze directed at them one too many times.

 

"…To become the head of the Koniha Police Task Force." Sasuke finished promptly. He felt a bit exposed saying his dream out loud; he had only ever talked about his seemingly impossible- what with Itachi being heir after all- private dream to a select few.

 

"...and someday I'll be Hokage and I'll marry Sakura-chan!" Kakashi twitched and the blonde tried, but ultimately failed, to suppress his smug smirk. The smirk, however, was quickly swiped off his face as Sasuke laughs at him.

 

"As if a dobe like you can be worthy of marrying Sakura. If anything, isn't she closer to becoming Hokage than you are?" Smirked the young Uchiha arrogantly. After all, his clan took pride in their hand at raising Sakura to be a fine ninja, no matter how much Hatake denied it. So in the end, Sakura was most likely going to marry into the clan; the dobe had no chance.

 

After the two boys bicker at each other for a couple more minutes, Kakashi sighs, having had enough of their antics and slams his beloved erotic literature's spine down on both of their heads.

 

After a few more protests, three males then turned to the lone female of the team.

 

"I-i—My n-name is Hinata Hyuuga. I l-like….. I dislike…um…and my dream….." she pauses, as if to steal herself, "my dream is to be the Hyuuga Clan Head s-someday…."Finished the young Hyuuga heiress, looking at anywhere but her teammates while twiddling her fingers together, her introduction barely audible.

 

Naruto Namikaze has by no means, any problem with the Hyuuga heir, she was mild mannered, if not a bit too shy but ultimately a nice girl. What he had a slight problem with, however, was the fact that she was occupying a position that was not hers.

 

In all the thirteen years that Naruto has been alive, he was certain of only three things; One, Ramen is the best tasting food out there, Two, he  _will_  become Hokage and Three, his gennin team was going to consist of himself, the Teme, and  _Sakura-chan._

 

So to him, this picture—him sitting on the right, Sasuke to the left, with the Hyuuga heir sitting in between them—was incomprehensible.

 

Sasuke shares the same sentiment, somewhat. He'd always assumed that Sakura would complete their trio because the logic behind such an action is flawless. Sasuke was the male rookie of the year, Naruto not far behind if it weren't for his abysmal written test scores—so wouldn't it be logical to place Sakura in their team? She got a nearly perfect score in the written test, beating the record by five points, and was fairly adept at Genjutsu. She would balance out the team's skill set. Not to mention the team dynamic, a buffer to his and Naruto's raucous relationship.

 

Kakashi can clearly see the confusion in the team member's faces at the odd team placement, even the Hyuuga heir, seeing as even during the academy days, the troublemaking trio had excellent teamwork—they had to, in order to unleash their terrible pranks perfectly—with their early skills complimenting each other well. However what they most likely did not take into account was the fact that he was going to be their sensei. Which threw a wedge into their perfectly nice expectations.

 

The Hokage knew not to place a father and daughter into the same gennin team assignment.

 

Kakashi eye-smiles, the kind that means he's highly annoyed, recalling how the Yondaime swiftly rejected his request.

 

_"Kakashi, I assure you, these team assignments are carefully reviewed and made in order to help all gennin to grow mentally, spiritually and physically as Ninja." The Hokage said, smiling, but inwardly sighing, knowing that his son will be pestering him later for the team assignments._

 

Kakashi, himself thinks that the Yondaime's, and most likely the council's, decision in placement is utter bullsh—Horse poo, as Sakura might put it.

 

He narrowed his eye, his sharinganspinning behind his forehead protector; there is definitely something fishy going on behind the scenes.

 

* * *

 

"My name is Kurenai Yuuhi, A jouninof Konoha, a genjutsu specialist, and now your sensei. Now introduce yourselves." Kurenai, smiled, surveying her new gennin team.

 

At first there was no forthcoming response, until the lone female of the team, Sakura—Kurenai smiles, she didn't expect Sakura to be on her team—elbowed the Inuzuka to her right. The boy yelped, before scratching his head and starting his introduction with an annoyed voice. Sakura took this as her cue to look up and introduce herself as well.

 

"My name is Kiba Inuzuka, I come from the Inuzuka Clan, and that traitor over there, is my ninken, Akamaru, I specialize in tracking, I guess." he said, pointing at the pup resting on Sakura's lap, enjoying a belly rub from the pinkette.

 

"My name is Sakura Hatake, I don't really specialize in anything but you can say that I'm good at subterfuge and the teachers back in the Academy determined me as a genjutsu type. I greatly dislike it when others try to bully my friends." Finished Sakura, while sending a playful glare at Kiba, sticking her tongue out at him before going back to cooing at Akamaru.

 

The third member doesn't speak until Kurenai prods him to.

 

"My name is Shino Aburame, I hail from the Aburame Clan. I have thousands upon thousands of insects inhabiting my body, as is tradition within my clan. The insects come in handy for tracking others and at times draining chakra from enemy nin." Stated the boy, without pause, pushing up his dark glasses after finishing his introduction. He felt that it was unnecessary. His two teammates already knew of him and he was sure that their Jounin-sensei already knew their skill set from their records.

 

"Good. Now that the introduction is finished, you have three hours to find and retrieve 3 items, each. I shall be providing you with their scents and a part of each item. Failure will get you a one way ticket back to the academy." Dismissed Kurenai, leaving them with nine parts of different items scattered around Konoha.

 

* * *

 

"Team 8, you are now officially gennin of Konohagakure no Sato. Congratulations." Kurenia beamed, feeling happy for his gennin team and satisfied with their abilities and skill.

 

Kiba and Sakura sputter while Shino raises an eyebrow in astonishment.

 

"But I, I didn't retrieve my third ite—" "You mean  _I_  didn't get my third item, right Sakura?" Kiba said, interrupting the confused and ashamed sounding pinkette. During the course of the mission, after Kiba and Shino had already retrieved their three items, they joined the pinkette in her hunt for the her final item. They spent the whole hour left over looking for it. But in the end, with only three minutes left in the clock, they still haven't found it. Kiba decided that if Sakura were to pass, he didn't mind going back to the academy, so he gave her one of his items; proudly stating that an Inuzuka took pride in being loyal to friends and loved ones, just as much as their ninken counterparts were.

 

Sakura's eyes had watered, ready to protest that it was her failure; it wasn't his punishment to accept. But Shino stopped her, telling her how it would be rude to not accept a great offering from a friend, stating that he understood if she was hesitant if it was coming from Kiba, would she like one of his items instead?

 

Sakura's reaction was that of disbelief and gratefulness, she hugged them both tightly, each in one arm, thanking them profusely. She decided to humor Kiba and took his item but planned to confess her failure to Kurenai anyway. But they were interrupted by the raven haired Jounin, who just now, announced their official genin status.

 

Suffice to say, Sakura curled her arms around each of her teammate's necks in an even tighter hug, nearly choking them. They ended the day laughing and having fun while eating out at Sakura's favorite tea shop, the one that served the best dango in Konoha (according to Sakura), but the same could not be said about Team 7….

 

* * *

 

Kakashi was annoyed. You couldn't tell from the eye-smile he was currently sporting but he was. He regrets talking about teamwork and implementing team exercises when Sakura was younger and stuck to Sasuke and Naruto like glue. The two dolts had told the shy Hyuuga of the real objective of the test as soon as he whipped out the two bells.

Kakashi could have been cruel and told them, that yes that was the objective but they would still fail if they failed to get the two bells of off him. But sadly, he couldn't do that. Not with this team at least. The Uchiha and Hyuuga clan weren't going to stand for it and he shudders to think of what the Yondaime Hokage would do to his precious Icha Icha collection were he to fail his son on a whim; the scary blonde even had one of his Hiraishin Seals inside his apartment. The three's combined wrath would put him in the streets, they'd probably take his Sakura away from him! Kami knew that the elders had tried that enough times for him to be wary.

So in the end, Team Seven passed without getting a bell by proving their ability to work together, though Kakashi doubted they would have if they had not known the objective beforehand.

After passing, each member of Team Seven went their different ways, not sparing a second glance at each other, save for Hinata who fidgeted in place, looking at each of their backs; she looked like she wanted to say something but gave up after they've gone far enough that they wouldn't hear her call out to them.

It was a lonely start for Team Seven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know many may have problems with the team arrangements. This change is relevant to the Plot. That is all i will say on the matter for now.


	12. Doujutsu!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crow comes across some unfamiliar ninja.

_**Age: 6 (Almost 7)** _

 

**"Doujutsu!"**

 

Crow's team was heading back to Konoha when he comes to a sudden halt. Craning his head to the right, he gives Team Ro a signal. The team begins darting towards the direction of the east border of Hi no Kuni. There, Crow's instincts are proven right.

 

In the clearing, there were two small hooded figures fighting seven Kumogakure nin. Crow recognizes the nin as the diplomatic envoy sent to Konoha for the finalization of the peace treaty between the two warring countries. The Head Ninja, the main representative for the treaty, is in the middle of the envoy, holding a bundle of blue in his arms.

 

Cries can be heard from the bundle; immediately the Anbu team is on guard. The envoy had not arrived with an infant. Who's child were they holding captive?

 

In the span that it took Team Ro to analyze the situation, only the Head Ninja is left standing. The two small hooded figures were looking worse for wear; their cloaks tattered and nearly falling off their form, their wounds bleeding profusely. The envoy nin were no easy opponents.

 

The Head Ninja employs a wind jutsu, which slices through their forms multiple times. The cloaks fall to the ground along with two logs, revealing the two nins to be Konoha nin from their Kawarimi technique.

 

Immediately the Anbu spring into action, confirming who the ally is and who the enemy is in the situation. They swiftly take out the Head Ninja, severely injuring him and knocking him out. They quickly stow him away in a scroll, along with some other nins who still survived the battle. But the child was not in his possession by the time Team Ro finished with him.

 

Rabbit looks up, sniffing the clearing, and points to the direction heading towards Konoha. The Anbu team is quick to pursue, soon catching up to the two small figures who battled the Kumo nin , one of them holding the crying bundle.

 

They intercept the two, giving them a clear view of the two nin's appearance. Both of them were young, incredibly so, around the same age that Crow himself had graduated the academy. They wore dark clothes, aside from dark maroon straps on their shoulders, presumably to hold their matching tantos in place. They looked to be wearing standard outfits since they both wore the same thing regardless of their gender. One of them had light shoulder-length grey hair with black eyes. The other one had midnight black hair, cut short bellow her ears, and striking green orbs.

 

Crow stiffens, he knew those eyes. Crow gives Team Ro a different signal. Ordering them to retrieve both the child and the two young shinobi. They nod their ascent, engaging the two.

 

They put up a considerable struggle against the more experienced shinobi. When the crying child is in the hands of the Anbu and the two were cornered and exhausted, it became apparent to them that they were fighting a losing battle.

 

The male half of the duo quickly whipped out his tanto and swiftly plunged it into his heart, as was standard protocol for ROOT agents of their tier. The female was quick to follow but was knocked unconscious by Crow before she could take the plunge.

 

Itachi's heart was pounding hard within his chest, almost threatening to beat its way out. He recalls the things he'd seen during the Third Shinobi War, children mutilated, dying; all for a conflict devised by selfish individuals. Here he was faced with the same situation. His face scrunches up, looking at the decapitated little boy; he couldn't have been older than seven. What kind of organization did that to their ninja? To  _children?_

 

He looks down at the girl in his arms, her pale form almost ghostly in its slightness, many scars littering her body from the fight, old ones fading like the waxing moon. Her now closed eyes were still seared in his mind, her chakra feeling familiar to him; there was no doubt about it. This was Sakura Hatake. Was.

 

"Taichou, the child is confirmed as a Hyuuga Clan member. How should we proceed now?" Asked Ox, carrying the small bundle in his arms, revealing its heritage through its pupil-less lavender eyes.

 

Itachi became Crow once again, the captain of Anbu Team Ro and nods swiftly, ordering the team to make a speedy arrival towards Konoha. This complicated matter of what looks to be a kidnapping of a Hyuuga and the interference of young shinobi from an unkown organization needed to be brought to the attention of the Yondaime.

 

* * *

 

Sakura screamed and clawed at her restraints when she awoke and saw Itachi. Or more specifically, his eyes. Itachi had kept his sharingan on, in case there were any nasty surprises with her awakening.

 

He quickly switched it off, showing his dark grey eyes instead.

 

But the damage was done and Sakura shrinked into herself some more, despite her restraints strapping her down to the hospital bed. Itachi is not surprised at first, rationalizing the reaction as some type of reactionary withdrawal from getting cleared of the drugs constantly pumped into her small body. However quickly going over her reaction and how it was directed to the sight of his eyes…

 

His eyes narrow, was an Uchiha somehow connected to Sakura's capture?

 

The Yondaime is just as bewildered by her reaction. He had a theory of where Sakura has been during the past year; regarding a secret organization residing within Konoha that is separate from its governing Hokage. But her explosive reaction towards Itachi's sharingan only brought up more questions for him.

 

But for now, he had to do something to curb Sakura's acquired phobia of the sharingan.

 

* * *

 

"This is Sakura, I want you to be nice to her. Is that understood, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, presenting a small red haired girl to him. She seemed uncomfortable with Itachi's close proximity to her, inching away from his hand on her shoulder, her dull eyes darting surreptitiously towards his eyes.

 

Sasuke knew the tone of voice that his older brother took. It was the tone of voice he usually reserved for when he had a mission for Sasuke! So in turn, Sasuke nodded his small head resolutely, promising to be nice to the little girl. His brother entrusted this responsibility to him, he  _had_  to succeed!

 

"Hi! I'm Sasuke Uchiha! And I'm six and a half!" Sasuke said, smiling brightly at the little girl, tilting his head to the side. It seemed like she was a little absent-minded, not responding to his prodding, her dull green eyes looking straight through him.

 

Sasuke felt a little annoyed, his eyes narrowing and his nose scrunching up; sure he didn't like how girls in the academy fawned over him but he also hated to be ignored. He has had enough of that from his father.

 

He comes closer to her, waving his hand in front of her face, trying to catch her attention. Then, faster than he could blink, she had his arm in a tight grip, the pain forcing him to yield and drop his bum to the floor.

 

Sasuke's eyes started to water, he knew he shouldn't cry, his father would decry him and tell him he was a mar to the pride of the Uchiha Clan. But it  _hurt_ , darn it! He closed his eyes tightly then, trying to bury the pain.

 

Then he felt a soft, cool hand on his cheek, cooling his superheated face from suppressing the tears. He opened his eyes to find the very reason for his pain staring at his eyes closely. A minute passes, her eyes never leaving his, him paralyzed by her sudden intense gaze. Suddenly, she smiles a small smile, leaning in towards him even more, their foreheads touching; her eyes never looking away from his dark black eyes.

 

Sasuke felt his face heat up even more. This girl was  _weird._

 

* * *

 

After their weird first meeting, the weird girl—"Her name is  _Sakura_ , Sasuke." Itachi would chide—would follow him everywhere. Her fingers always hanging on to some part of his clothing, tethering herself to him.

 

She seemed to shy away from everybody else within the Uchiha Clan. Always looking towards their eyes searchingly first, then flinching, and looking away before hiding behind Sasuke's back.

 

She was  _really_ weird.

 

But Sasuke secretly liked that she stuck on him and depended on him so much. It made him feel important, needed and powerful. Something that he was not, not in the Uchiha Clan what with Itachi's presence. He also secretly  _really_ liked that above all, Sakura always preferred his company to Itachi.  _Always._

 

So in reality, Sasuke really liked that Sakura latched on to him. But the academy recently just taught them about the Shinobi rules. Rule #27: Shinobi must never show emotions. And Sasuke took his training as a ninja very seriously.

 


	13. Red!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura doesn't like her hair. Minato doesn't like what she does to amend that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This occurs two weeks before she gets sent to live with the Uchihas.

**_Age: 6 (Almost 7)_ **

 

**"Red!"**

 

Sakura, after calming down from seeing the sharingan, was sitting on her bed, free of her restraints. She was answering the Yondaime's questions in short, crisp answers. This time the Yondaime was careful with his questions, not asking her questions that would force her to speak about whom the perpetrator is or where she was being kept during the duration of her kidnapping. The last time he had asked, and she had tried to answer truthfully—due to the truth serum slipped into her through her Intravenous drip—she had took on a pained look and became paralyzed for over five hours straight. He deduced that it must have been due to a seal of some kind. Minato makes a mental note to check her for seals once she's put to sleep once again.

 

The girl looked dull and lifeless. Minato didn't know whether or not Kakashi would be happy or raving mad when he returned from his mission. His little girl seemed not to be the same Sakura anymore.

 

As he looks at her pale form, taking in her dull green eyes and pitch black hair; he thinks that although her appearance is changed and maybe her psyche as well, doesn't mean that Kakashi's little girl is lost. Minato is determined not to let her be lost. Kakashi would never be able to recover from all the loss he's had if Sakura were to be lost to him too.

 

Throughout the past year or so, he's been worse than ever, after Sakura's capture, being outrageously later than his standard three hours, foregoing formalities; not even bothering to make his usual outrageous excuses. He even signed up for Anbu once again. He's been running himself ragged, taking missions left and right. And even when Minato refused to give him a mission, Kakashi would still be out of sight, never being around others unless necessary.

 

When Sakura was found, he had thought that Kakashi would finally be returned to normal but he could see that that would still be a long ways off; seeing Sakura's condition as of now, at least.

 

He sighs.

 

Then as he turned to ask Sakura another question, she stiffens imperceptively, his sharp eye noticing only because he paid sole attention to her. Her blank eyes were directed somewhere behind his own head, he turns back slowly, hesitant to let the girl out of his sight. He comes face to face with the one-way mirror set up for observation of highly classified patients. He sees his own reflection, his hair color muted but still bright looking in the reflection, he looks at Sakura's reflection and sees her usually blank face marred with a crinkle in between her brows. She seemed to be scrutinizing her reflection, turning to his in intervals, as if comparing them. He raises his eyebrows and doesn't fully comprehend until she started tugging on her hair; as if it were a nuisance that will go away if she tugged at it enough.

 

Oh. She was bothered by the color of her  _hair_.

 

"Ano, ne, Sakura-chan. You shouldn't do that. Though I liked your previous hair color more, your hair could fall off, you know?" Minato says, scratching his cheek in a sheepish manner, as if embarrassed to be pointing it out.

 

Minato couldn't help it. He  _liked_ that her hair was pink; it reminded him of his Kushina. Now it was black. Like the bland coffee that his secretary, Utatane-san –he still suspects that she's somehow a relative of Utatane-sama from the council, she must be, if she's torturing him so—persists in giving him, saying that a real man drank their coffee black. The third Hokage did, she said. He always quiets his protests then, humbly accepting the bitter drink; he could never say no to her, let alone force her to retire from her job even with her old age, because she had been serving as the Hokage's secretary ever since the start of the Third's reign as Hokage. Minato knew to respect that. It also didn't hurt that the less he protests the more likely she was to sneak him some salty Ramen after hours.

 

By the time Minato has recovered from his thoughts, Sakura already had hacked away parts of her hair with a small razor. Minato is instantly alert and takes it from her.

 

"Sakura. Where did you get this?" Asked Minato sternly, holding up the razor in front of him.

 

He would have to set up regular appointments with Inoichi for her. The damage to her psyche must've been more than he imagined.

 

Sakura wordlessly points to her mouth. Minato's stomach churns from the response. What had they done to her?

 

"Sakura-chan. I need you to give me anything else that you're hiding on your body, okay? Because weapons of any kind aren't allowed in the hospital, you understand, right Sakura-chan?" Minato asks, trying to smile reassuringly, cautious in his approach of her.

 

The girl nods minutely, face still blank of any emotion and opens her mouth wide, pulling up her tongue before digging at the meat underneath it. Blood starts dripping from her pale lips, down her chin and throat.

 

Minato nearly has a heart attack.

 

Then she pulls out another razor, this one with a pointed tip at the other end, holds it out for him covered in her blood and indiscernible bits of flesh.

 

Minato's façade turns grim as he graciously accepts the offering, he looks at Sakura now, and see's clearly what she has become. She has been molded to be a loyal Kunoichi of Konoha. She's been turned into an empty tool.

 

He presses the call button for a medic to come heal her before he gathers her in his arms, and tightly hugs her to his chest.

 

Minato cries for her because at the current moment, she was unable to cry for herself. But he will change this; he swears on his honor as the Hokage of Konohagakure, he will bring Sakura back.

 

The girl doesn't move until after her mouth has been healed. Though she seemed to have become more relaxed in his presence after the hug.

 

She tugs on Minato's sleeve, and then tugs on her hair. Minato gives her something to write with in order to better convey her intention for trying to hack away her hair in the first place.

 

 _'Hair. Too dark. Looks off. Do not like it. Cut?'_ Sakura writes her letters perfectly aligned and symmetrical. That was one thing that hadn't changed at least. Although, judging by her crisp sentences, she was trained to use her words sparingly.

 

Minato shakes his head, if Kakashi were to return to a bald Sakura, he would surely become more than a little upset. Kakashi loved Sakura's pink hair as well. Although….

 

"Hmm. If it bothers you that much, we could do something to make it less dark? We could dye your hair red instead? It's closer to pink." Minato suggests, toying with the idea.

 

The little girl hesitates briefly before nodding resolutely, seemingly making up her mind.

 

 _'Thank you.'_  She writes, holding the small notepad to him, showing him a small curl of her lips, just shy of a small smile.

 

As Minato smiles brightly at her, while giving her another sporadic hug, the note pad falling from her hands, he thinks; this was the first victory he's had all day, he wanted to see that smile more, a bigger one, a wider one. Once more.

 


	14. Remedial Class!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura joins the academy a bit late, so she gets some remedial lessons.

_**Age: 7-8** _

 

**"Remedial Class!"**

 

Sakura joined the academy later than her friends who have been enrolled for the past two years. So when Iruka Umino, her new sensei, motions for her to stay after class for remedial lessons, Sakura wasn't terribly surprised.

 

"Good luck, Sakura. Although you're pretty much caught up, I hope your teacher can quickly catch you up to the curriculum." Iruka says almost apologetically, smiling at the young girl sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

"No, I'm sure there is still much for me to learn, Umino-sensei. Thank you for all the help you've given me so far." Sakura replies, bowing down in gratitude.

 

Iruka was a bit unnerved by her overtly formal and distant interactions with people she wasn't well acquainted with. He just sighs and shakes his head, hopefully she becomes more comfortable as she goes through the academy curriculum. Though Iruka wasn't kidding when he thought that remedial classes weren't really needed for the pinkette; In terms of practical skills she was a little ways ahead from what her original batch mates are currently at.

 

Nevertheless, orders are orders.

 

"Okay, well I'll leave you to it then. Your teacher should be arriving soon."

 

"Thank you once again, Umino-sensei."

 

Sakura cracks open one of the academy tomes, reading through the contents in a perfunctory manner. Imprinting the words into her mind, going through them again and again to grasp their meaning. Books have always been a constant comfort to her, even before her disappearance; books didn't have the ability to hurt her, only enlighten.

 

It wasn't long before the classroom doors slid open. Sakura glanced at the clock to her left, observing that her teacher was only a little bit less than thirty minutes late. Definitely more punctual than her 'Kashi.

 

"I'm very sorry I'm late! The orphanage had a bit of a problem right as I was leaving. "Smiled a brown haired woman, her emerald eyes shining with repentance. She wore rectangular framed glasses and totted a black gown with a white apron tied around her waist. It was Sakura's first time encountering a nun, 'Kashi wasn't really much for religion, but do nuns customarily teach the shinobi arts?

 

"It was no problem at all…Sensei."

 

"Ah, yes, where are my manners? My name is Nono Yakushi and I'm your remedial teacher, please treat me well." Replied Nono, smiling in a more collected manner down at the pinkette.

 

"My name is Sakura Hatake, It is a pleasure to meet you Yakushi-sensei. I look forward to learning from you." Sakura told her, bowing at the waist, her response perfunctory.

 

"Ahaha, you are much too formal Sakura-chan. Just call me Nono-sensei, okay?"

 

Sakura was at a loss but reluctantly agrees.

 

"Alright, now that introductions are out of the way, let me ask you a couple of questions first in order to asses where you are in terms of academic knowledge." Nono starts, seating herself right beside the pinkette.

 

Sakura is a bit unsettled at the proximity and familiarity the woman was exhibiting but nods and adjusts herself to become more comfortably seated while facing her new teacher.

 

"Who was the Third Hokage?"

 

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Professor. He lead Konoha Shinobi during the Third Shinobi War."

 

"Correct, very good Sakura-chan." Compliments the brunette while reaching out and ruffling the pinkette's hair. Sakura is further astonished by her new teacher's lack of regard for personal space but chooses to store such observations to scrutinize at a later date.

 

"Next, What do you know about ROOT, Midori?" Nono asks, her visage still calm and welcoming.

 

Sakura on the other hand felt her body freeze, breaking out in goose bumps. She feels herself getting dizzy and slowly but surely blacking out.

 

Nono continues to smile, calmly waiting for the little girl to come to, her hand still on the pinkette's head, supporting her limp body.

 

A few beats passes and the pinkette's eyes open once again, her jade eyes looking dull.

 

"A separate faction of ANBU, independent from the Hokage's influence. Lead by Shimura Danzo-sama."

 

"Very good. Hello Midori, I am Nono Yakushi and I will be continuing your ROOT training."

 

"Hai, Yakushi-sensei."

 

* * *

 

"You've been doing rather well Sakura-chan!" Compliments her brunette teacher as she packs up, ending their session for the day.

 

Truthfully Sakura feels as if she's learning in a really slow pace. She thought she'd be done by now, it's been a month since the start of her remedial lessons but whenever she thinks too hard on it she gets unbearable bouts of nausea and headaches, so the pinkette always waves the thought away.

 

"Thank you Nono-sensei, but I was wondering—"

 

"Ah, I know! Since we ended rather early today, why don't I bring you along to introduce you to some of the kids from the orphanage I was talking about? I'm sure you'll get along well. How about it, Sakura-chan?"

 

Sakura didn't really have anywhere to be and she was a little bit curious as to what kind of kids Nono-sensei raised at the orphanage. Truthfully, Sakura is very curious as to how she would have turned out had she been put at the orphanage rather than taken in by 'Kashi. What was it like to live in an orphanage with other orphans like herself?

 

"If it's not too much trouble…"

 

* * *

 

"This is Sai."

 

"Nice to meet you, my name is Sakura Hatake."

 

Sakura met Sai for the first time but this was not the first time Sai has met the pinkette.

 

* * *

 

"Sleeper agent Midori is now set in place. She will be relaying intelligence every week starting from now till her use has expired."

 

"And the Hokage?"

 

"Unaware. Remedial classes aren't looked too closely in terms of implementation."

 

"Her progress?"

 

"She has retained peak physical condition, will continue to motivate her in improving physique. Taijutsu is her weakest area because of her small stature and inadequate academy curriculum when it comes to practical application. Has proficiency in Genjutsu. Ninjutsu is also above average, however her arsenal is severely lacking. She exhibits vast intelligent capacity and great chakra control."

 

"Continue to train her in the shinobi arts and report of her progress. I grant you liberty to teach her useful ninjutsu; preferably the kind that will help maximize her usefulness to ROOT."

 

"Hai, Danzo-sama."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nono Yakushi was a former ROOT agent who quit to become a nun in an orphanage. She was the one who took in Kabuto Yakushi and died shortly near the end of the Third Shinobi War by the hand of Kabuto. In this story, she did not die and was brought back. She was, however, brainwashed once again, hence her actions and emotions seemingly that of her former self before the war. All information concerning her are researched through the Naruto wiki.


	15. Home!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Gai talk in the rain.

_**Age: 6** _

 

**"Home!"**

 

"Kakashi… Kakashi… Kakashi! Hold on!"Gai yells, running after the taciturn ninja in the pouring rain. Kakashi hadn't even done anything to shield himself from the freezing droplets, not bothering to duck under a shop's canopy, and upon closer look…he had a small red umbrella tightly gripped in his hand? Why was he suffering the rain when he had an umbrella?

 

Normally Gai would take this as a challenge, would see Kakashi's actions as a challenge to beat but lately, his rival has not been the same. Lately the copy-nin was hardly ever seen outside, Gai thought that Kakashi would be better after his little blossom's retrieval but it seemed that the man has become even more scarce, even to Sakura herself.

 

Gai in all his green wearing glory may not be the most subtle and seemingly dependable friend in times of emotional turmoil but he knew enough to know when his friend is in pain. Gai sees it every time he does his morning jog around Konoha, wherein he had picked up the habit of checking in on little Sakura-chan's window ; he sees Kakashi's shadow just standing, hovering over the sleeping child. It was painful to watch; he couldn't even imagine how sorrowful Kakashi feels, knowing his daughter is within reach but still so very far away…

 

The young girl was frightfully afraid of Kakashi ever since she was retrieved. The cause for this is currently under investigation but it almost seemed painfully obvious, even to one such as himself, that the only thing that could cause such a trauma is the influence of another sharingan wielder. The village relations with the Uchiha Clan was already strained, he couldn't help but think that things would only go much worse from here on out. No, he shouldn't have such unyouthful thoughts! Instead he should just focus on helping his rival in need!

 

So Gai, although not the most tactful person, sought out Kakashi in his time of need even when he seemed to only want to be alone, because Gai was the youthful green beast of Konoha and he did not abandon his comrades to suffer alone!

 

With his speed, Gai caught up to the silver haired nin in no time, blocking his path towards the familiar stone cenotaph. Gai knew Kakashi spent most of his time there, before he took Sakura in, after he took Sakura in and, now more than ever, he visited it like a desperate ritual.

 

"My friend, whatever it is that ails you; do not be afraid to confide in me. The green beast of Konoha will be your ally and confidant!"Gai tells him confidently, teeth flashing and with his hand held up in a thumbs up pose. Even in the pouring rain Gai never fails to be bright and normally this would be enough to for the two to ease into their usual banter, but not today.

 

Today the copy-nin looks on, as if he was looking through the green clad nin, not entirely present in front of Gai. Looking at him then, Gai couldn't help but feel that this wasn't his friend, wasn't his cool, taciturn rival. He desperately wanted him back.

 

Gai punches the dazed nin faster than he could blink. Kakashi falls to the muddy ground with a 'thud', consciousness finally seeping back into his eyes, he looks up to see Gai standing over him. He was panting heavily, his eyes hooded by his black hair, his form trembling in suppressed anger and frustration.

 

"What are you doing Kakashi?! "Gai rages, his below startling a flock of crows from a nearby tree, their squawks sounding like accusing noises directed at Kakashi's fallen form. Kakashi remains where he is, rigid and shocked.

 

"Leaving Sakura alone in this rain, visiting the dead…are you treating her as if she was dead already?! Do you trace her name on the cenotaph too?! Wake up! Sakura is alive! She may not be wholly herself but it's your responsibility to be there for her. To love her, give her warmth, comfort her! So, I'm going to ask again, what are you doing?"Gai asks, huffing in his frustration.

 

Kakashi's still form and widened eyes seemed frozen for a moment before a beat passes and he looks away from Gai, as if shamed, rain drops falling from his silver maine.

 

Gai approaches the fallen nin, crouches down to his level and offers his arm.

 

"Kakashi, you may not know this, but I am here and so are the rest of our comrades. We're willing to lend a helping hand, you do not need to bear all this suffering alone, so…let us help you."Gai tells him, sounding considerably calmer.

 

Kakashi accepts the offered hand and rights himself. He looks Gai straight in the eyes, pausing as if to answer the green clad nin's question, before settling into giving the other man an eye smile, reassuring him that everything is fine and apologizing for his actions.

 

Gai watches Kakashi's back, travelling home towards his beloved child, waving a two fingered good bye as he went; he thinks that his friend was close to confiding in him. But he didn't want to push the taciturn nin; he would talk once he was ready.

 

* * *

 

As he walks back to his apartment, Kakashi stops periodically, even through the pouring rain. He stopped at Sakura's favorite tea shop, the one she claimed that made the best anko dumplings in the entire village. He stopped at the small playground she frequented, recalling her many escapades with the Fourth's gaki. He stopped at all the small little places that held his memories with Sakura. The Sakura who had pink hair. The Sakura who was bright and cheerful. The Sakura whose face lit up whenever he came home. The Sakura who loved him.

 

He needed all these memories, little fragments of her, in order to strengthen himself to face who she is now. A Sakura who had blood red hair. A Sakura who was quiet and fearful. A Sakura who flinched at his mere presence. A Sakura who did not know him.

 

He lingers at the door, looking down at the red umbrella he'd taken with him before going out earlier. It was a small, bright red thing; barely big enough to cover him really. It was Sakura's umbrella. He'd unknowingly taken it with him, the phantom urge to bring it with him when it was raining was borne from habit. She had always went out with him, everywhere he went…

 

When Kakashi hears the flutter of the curtains, he becomes aware that she knows he's lingering outside, that more so than being in the same room as her, Sakura must be frightened of not knowing what a sharingan wielder like himself was doing outside of her view.

 

He steels himself, shakes off the droplets that clung to his form and stepped into the apartment. His body seemed to be on auto pilot, taking him straight to her room without any conscious thought on his part. He blinks and suddenly he's in front of her door. He carefully opens the door, it's creaking eerily loud in the quiet room; he did not dare step foot in her room.

 

His eye strains into the darkness, looking for her small form, most likely huddled into herself on her bed. He becomes rigid and tense when he realizes that Sakura was not in her room. He hears a small clatter to his left and in the blink of an eye he's in front of the bathroom door. It was ajar, showing Sakura's small fallen form underneath a heap of towels.

 

Kakashi didn't know what to do. On one hand, he had the ingrained habit of wanting to laugh and help the small child untangle herself. But this was a different Sakura, he would most likely scare her away even more than he already has…

 

Her form was shaking and small, barely audible sobs could be heard from the girl; after a few moments he became unable to resist and swiftly came to her rescue, lifting her up and picking away the tangled sheets of towels on her.

 

As expected, Sakura gasps and struggles in his grip, reaching downwards toward the ground.

 

Kakashi did not want to let her go. She was a source of warmth and it's been a long time since he's held her in his arms but he had to let her go; she was shaking really badly.

 

As soon as he puts her down, she runs to the pile of towels and hefts up the fluffiest looking one in the pile, it was thick and deep green; his favorite. Then dutifully, tears flowing copiously down her small heart shaped face, she walks towards him. She dragged the towel with her, every step shaky, as if she was forcing herself.

 

She comes to a stop in front of his crouched form, shakily offering him the towel.

 

Kakashi was at a loss. Was she offering him a towel?

 

"I-I'm sorry. I- you…" The small girl stuttered, looking away from him, before taking a second to steel herself.

 

"I saw you - wet…in - rain. I wanted - y-you a towel. You - g-get sick." Sakura said, her tears chocking out some words that she tried to convey, looking like she was the one who spent hours drenched in the rain.

 

He couldn't help himself, letting go of his restraint— _just this once_ —he pulls her in for a hug. Although her small, bony—how had he let her refuse so many meals?—shoulders were shaking, this time she stayed within his embrace. Her body once again bringing warmth and comfort to Kakashi.

 

This is when Kakashi realizes that this is Sakura.  _This is Sakura._

 

It didn't matter that she was different, that she was afraid. Even through her great fear of him, she helped him, and cared for him. It's true that she was scared, absolutely petrified of his sharingan's close proximity to her but she toughs it out to comfort  _him._

 

Kakashi realizes that there was never a difference between his Sakura and this Sakura. The only thing that changed was him; he was the one who was absent, who was distant.

 

He hadn't realized how much he'd neglected her, driven by his need for revenge, his need to rid the world of the scum that took her. He was gone for days that turned into weeks which turned into months at a time, taking missions that will help him exact revenge. To help make Konoha the safe village that it should have been to his Sakura. He tightens his grip on her. Wrapping is arms tighter around her, as if to shield her from the all harm with his body.

 

Kakashi didn't bother to get out of his wet clothes that night. Instead he wrapped Sakura in warm blankets and went to bed with her. To occupy the spot on her bed that he frequently longed to be on whenever he'd watch her sleep at night.

 

As she relaxes in his arms through the passing minutes, he feels her doze off, her breathing becoming even, he tells her;

 

"I'm home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not exactly after Sakura was retrieved. This was about a month or two after her retrieval when Kakashi finally came back from a long arduous mission assigned to him by Anbu. They've only been "living together" for about a week at this point.


	16. Dinner!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner at the Uchihas get a bit rowdy.

_**Age: Almost 13** _

 

**"Dinner!"**

 

"Good afternoon, Mikoto-san!" Sakura greets as she slides open the front door, carefully setting her shoes down in a presentable manner—Mikoto-san always did hate it whenever she just threw her shoes anywhere, as she was wont to do since Kakashi never minded.—before walking into the house.

 

"Good afternoon to you too, Sakura-chan! Come, I'm in the kitchen. Have you eaten lunch yet?" Mikoto replies. Her voice cheerful and bright as always; it made Sakura feel welcomed, even all those years ago when she lived with the Uchiha's.

 

"Ah, yes, I ate with my team after practice. I just came by to return a scroll that Itachi lent me, is he home?" The pinkette asked, her wide eyes looking around the parts of the house visible to her, her ear straining to hear any other sound from within the house. She heard none.

 

"Ahh, he went out for a mission earlier this morning, he most likely won't be back until a couple of days; why don't you just set it down on his desk?" Replies Mikoto, confirming what her senses already told her.

 

"Hai!"

 

Sakura used to find it weird that she was allowed to just fleet through the boy's rooms in the Uchiha household when she found out from Ino that it wasn't normal to be able to do so. She's always been welcome to do it even when she was smaller, so Sakura just shrugged it off, but now that she was of age, should she start refraining from doing so?

 

Kurenai, who before becoming her jounin sensei, had taken up the mantle of being Sakura's teacher when it comes to manners and formality, had said that it wasn't proper for young ladies to enter a man's room…but Sasuke and Naruto weren't men, right? But then again maybe Itachi is considered a man? How does one even identify if another is a "man"?

 

Sakura eventually gives up on her train of thought and just finishes her task. Sakura then enters the kitchen and sees Mikoto preparing copious amounts of food. She raises an eyebrow; why was Mikoto-san preparing so much for breakfast?

 

"Ano ne, Mikoto-san, what's the feast for?" Sakura asks, gesturing towards the plethora of prepared ingredients.

 

"It's for tonight's dinner. I had Sasuke ask his new team over for dinner; it's better to get to know them now than later, ne?" Mikoto mentions, tucking a stray raven lock behind her ear before turning and smiling at the pinkette.

 

"Ehh, maybe I should do the same thing…But 'Kashi's been out a lot lately, he even told me that he wasn't going to be home for dinner tonight…" Sakura trails off, looking to the side with a look of concentration, her eyebrows curling into each other, her eyes getting a suspicious glint to them.

 

"Ara? Did Hatake-kun not tell you? He's going to be eating dinner here tonight; he's Sasuke's jounin sensei."

 

"EHHH?!"

 

* * *

 

"So in the end, Mikoto-san invited my team and I as well. I hope you do not mind, Fugaku-san?" Asked Sakura, eating her dinner in the same sedate pace as the stoic man, carefully and obviously ignoring Kakashi's presence at the dinner table. Something that everyone present was painfully aware of; it was going to be a tense dinner indeed.

 

"No, it is fine. This dinner will allow me to asses both yours and Sasuke's team at the same time; this turn of events is favorable." Replies the strict man, his words eliciting different reactions from each attendee.

 

While the rest are a bit unsettled at the stoic Uchiha's straightforward reveal of his ulterior motive for the dinner, Kakashi's eye smile tightened and his hands balled into a fist underneath the table; he'd always hated how the Uchiha head acted as if he were Sakura's guardian rather than himself. He started raising Sakura by himself at the age of fourteen, damn it!

 

Sakura just shakes her head and laughs a little, as if the stoic patriarch of the Uchiha household had told a particularly funny joke. Sakura was the only one, aside from Mikoto, who found Fugaku to be charming or endearing; no one else ever did get his sense of humor. Others frequently think that maybe the two females were just blind and deaf?

 

Sasuke went rigid at his father's words but relaxes once he heard Sakura laugh; if she can laugh at such a situation then he could most certainly soldier on. He returns to eating once again, minding his own business and letting his and Sakura's teammates get interrogated throughout dinner.

 

"If Sakura were to be captured by an enemy-nin, and the nin demands you to choose between her life or your mission; what do you do?" Fugaku asked, his gaze intimidating the two boys of Team 8.

 

"Hey now, let's not get too carried away…" Kakashi says, chuckling while ruffling his hair casually. Although his thoughts were anything but.  _Who does he think he is? That's my line!_

 

While Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke recalled how Kakashi did that exact scenario; he even held a kunai to Sakura's neck! He  _clearly_ wasn't one to talk!

 

"Of course we would save Sakura!"

 

"Wrong!"

 

"What? You'd rather have Sakura-san be killed for the sake of the mission?"

 

"Those who abandon the mission are scum but those who abandon comrades are worse than scu—"

 

"P-please don't f-fight…"

 

"Of course, If it were me, Sakura-chan wouldn't even get taken in the first place!"

 

"Oi, you brats, don't interrupt—"

 

"Tch, it's simple. Just take Sakura back and finish the mission."

 

"Feh, you can't protect Sakura even if you wanted to; you're not even in the same team!"

 

"Wait a minute? Why do you guys even think I need protecting? I can take care of myself just fine!"

 

"That is  _ENOUGH."_

 

The scariest person in the room, one that people have neglected to be careful of, has blown up. The room fell into total silence, all previous arguments silenced in the face of an angry Mikoto Uchiha.

 

"Now, we will finish dinner and be  **civil** till desert is finished and all guests are out of the compound. Is that understood?" Asked Mikoto, smiling her usual pleasant smile, which was scarier than any glare at this current situation. Everyone meekly finished their meal, with little glares thrown here and there, and thanked the angered matriarch.

 

Suffice to say, the dinner at the Uchiha's was a complete and utter disaster. Fugaku doesn't think he even learned anything of value about Sasuke and Sakura's new teams.

 

Sakura continued to give Kakashi the cold shoulder for a little over a week.

 

* * *

 

"So...what are we doing, having dinner over at the Hyuuga estate, again?"

 

"M-my father wanted to invite y-you all t-to welcome the new g-gennin a-and establish a-a f-favorable r-relationship..."

 

_So, in other words; the Hyuuga Clan heard about the dinner at the Uchiha's and they got jealous?_

 

Everybody sweatdrops at the thought- they had a feeling it was going to be an even more tense dinner than the Uchiha's.

 


	17. Busted!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi catches Sakura red-handed.

_**Age: 5** _

 

**"Busted!"**

 

Sakura has always been a precocious child, picking up weird hobbies and preferring to learn and discover on her own. Therefore Kakashi didn't question it if odds and ends started disappearing from the house, a couple of cup noodles, bandages, flash bangs—which, thinking about it now shouldn't really be something he deemed normal for a five year old to carry around with her at all times- and some books but when Sakura tried to sneak out nails and a hammer, Kakashi was starting to become concerned.

 

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Kakashi drawled, lazily eyeing the little pink haired girl he caught by surprise.

 

"Wahh! You scared me 'Kashi!" Screamed the young girl, nearly dropping the small bag she was struggling to carry before Kakashi took it from her. He peered at the contents of the bag, nails, a hammer and couple of snacks.

 

He then looked at his little charge, garbed in her "Ninja" attire, black pants and her favorite long sleeved blue shirt, wearing his extra face mask but neglecting to use the eye- patch—it must've been annoying her—and currently outside standing on their apartment wall, in broad daylight; he had to tell her that wearing such an attire in broad daylight wasn't really an effective way to be stealthy. Maybe someday. When it stops being cute. But he doubts it.

 

"Sakura, why does a five year old like yourself, need to bring nails and hammers to play at the park?" Kakashi asked, ruffling his silver hued hair, knowing he's going to be in for another of the pinkette's ridiculous escapades; seriously, how much trouble can a five year old get herself into?

 

"If you  _must_  know, I need them to build a house for my pet!" Huffed the little girl, trying to grab the bag from Kakashi's hold and failing miserably.

 

"A pet? I didn't know you had one." Kakashi replied, raising an eyebrow, while skillfully dodging the pinkette's attempts at taking back the heavy cargo. Sakura barely noticed that Kakashi was moving away from her, as she followed him in her attempts, and towards the playground which was her original destination.

 

"I do! I just found him recently. I didn't bring him back here because I knew you would shoo him away, 'Kashi! You meanie!" Cried the frustrated little girl, still struggling miserably for her bag.

 

"Sakura, I'm not a meanie, I just care about you. I couldn't let you keep that Liger from the Forest of Death because it was dangerous, I didn't want you to get hurt, you know? So do you still blame poor little old 'Kashi for caring so much for his Saku-chan?" Stated Kakashi, putting his hand towards his chest, as if she hurt him with her words. It was all so heartfelt. Really.

 

Sakura's eyes began to water, fat droplets falling from her thick lower lashes and sliding down her rosy cheeks. She quickly ran to Kakashi, tackling him in the midsection with a tight hug, burrowing her face into his stomach, crying; "Of course not! I will always love 'Kashi! Always!"

 

Kakashi's face softens, he hugs her back tenderly, dropping the bag to the ground, and kneeling down to her height to wipe away her tears and kiss the crown of her head. Sakura lets go of his torso, opting to hug him around his neck this time, covering his mask with her tears and most probably slobber; he wouldn't have it any other way. Kakashi was content to stay like this but he knew they would get in the way of other people so he let go of her slowly.

 

The next thing Kakashi knows, Sakura was running down the street. She had taken the bag from where it's fallen and escaped. Kakashi sighs, Sakura would be too formidable an opponent once she becomes a kunoichi.

 

* * *

 

Imagine Kakashi's surprise when he followed her and came across her "pet". Her pet; the Yondaime Hokage's son.

 


	18. Konoha!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sakura muses about grandfathers.

_**Age: 13** _

 

**"Konoha!"**

 

There was this old man. Sakura stumbled across him on her way to the training grounds for her first meeting with Team Kurenai after passing her test. He was covered in many bandages and looked injured enough to be confined in the hospital. He walked with the help of a cane, wore an arm sling and an eye patch but even through all his handicapped features, Sakura could still sense that this person was strong. That this person was proud and wise.

 

Sakura always greets him whenever she passes by him, he was always sitting under the shade of one of the big sprawling trees on the way to the training grounds. Sakura's made it a habit to go to the training grounds at least thirty minutes early in the occurrence that the old man asks her to come sit with him and drink tea.

 

She once asked him why he never ate any dango or other such sweets with his tea. He just looked at her from the corner of his eyes and told her in a stern voice that such things would only rot her teeth and make her drowsy during training.

 

The pinkette wondered if his grandchildren lamented the fact that their grandfather would never dote on them and give them sweets. Sakura likes to imagine that her own grandfather, 'Kashi's father, would be doting but has an inkling that he may have been rather similar to the old man she sat with, had he been alive.

 

Sakura mentions this to the old man. He says nothing in reply and only continues to look towards Konoha as he sipped his tea. He does this sometimes. Doesn't reply, only listening to what she has to say. Sakura would have felt offended but she felt that his silence meant that he listened with the utmost attention. He seemed like the kind of person who loathed saying anything without any purpose. Some days they would spend their usual thirty minutes of tea, with him not saying a single word after he greets her while Sakura will prattle on about interesting things she's encountered on missions with her team.

 

But today, he looked towards her, averting his unwaivering gaze from Konoha and concentrating all that focus on her being. Sakura felt small, almost unworthy, underneath the older man's gaze. She wants to fidget, but she knew well enough that the older man would be irked by such an obvious sign of discomfort.

 

"Look towards the village."

 

She gulps, feeling her spit slide down her throat smoothly, the slick feeling of it almost uncomfortable. She looks to the view that the other always seemed to admire. The more she looks at the wooden tops of buildings, the dusty earthen streets and the copious green clusters of trees—the more she relaxes and feels herself wanting to take apart the sight before her. Piece by piece—what was the village of Konoha made of?

 

"What do you see?"

 

Who built the roofs on top of these sprawling buildings? Who paved the dirt path which we tread upon? Who spread the growth of the innumerable trees within the village?

 

People, many of them, in different sizes and colors.

 

She tells him this. Tells him that all these people, no matter their strength or intelligence—they all had a role they must fulfill. A role that is vital for the continued prosperity of the village.

 

As she finishes answering his question, she looks towards him. He was no longer looking at her, his gaze was back towards the village while calmly sipping is perpetually steaming tea.

 

She doesn't know if she answered the question correctly. Not even sure if there was a correct answer to such a broad question.

 

But there, between their seated forms, was a stick of dango.

 

As she happily bites into the sweet snack, she thinks, if she had a grandfather, one like him might not be so bad after all.

 


End file.
